


Codename: Cupcake

by AnnieMar, leftennant



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), X-Men (Movies), wintershieldshock - Fandom
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Darcy isn't your typical Omega, Epic Friendship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Humor, M/M, Mutant Powers, OT3, Omega Darcy Lewis, Platonic Bonding, RST, ShieldShock - Freeform, Smuff, Smut, Triumvirate dynamics, UST, WinterShieldShock - Freeform, WinterShock - Freeform, lightly crackified, romantic bonding, so fucking fluffy it hurts, this is not your grandma's a/b/o
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-20 14:38:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 100,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6011794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieMar/pseuds/AnnieMar, https://archiveofourown.org/users/leftennant/pseuds/leftennant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy Lewis had always been given the choice by her parents as to how out in the open she wanted to be about where she came from, and what she was.  So she opted to lie low, keep out of the spotlight, and pretend not to be more than human.  It was the perfect plan.  Nobody would suspect a thing, and her life would be smooth sailing.  But her perfect plan comes to a screeching halt one day, when she runs smack into two super soldiers who have a few perfect plans of their own, and all those plans include her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Key Lime Cupcake Meetcute

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, remember when I said I was working on something with [AnnieMar](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieMar/pseuds/AnnieMar/works)? Yeah. We decided to tackle A/B/O. For reasons. But don't expect your grandma's omegaverse. We might have hijacked the trope and made it our own. ;D
> 
> *************************************************

“So how long will you be staying in New York?”

Darcy looked around at what was to be her new apartment in Avengers Tower, as she talked on her phone with her mother. She’d never set foot in this particular space and yet it already felt like home, as bits and pieces from her old rooms growing up, had been strategically placed throughout the area. 

She sighed. “Indefinitely.” 

“I’m glad you decided to move home, it was the right move, sweetie. I take it, since you’re not over here with me, that you’ll be staying with your father?” 

Darcy shook her head, thinking of the place she used to go to school, the one her mother was now co-headmaster of. “Don’t take it personally, mom. I have no desire to live at a school anymore with a bunch of…walking time-bombs. Even if it’s a luxurious estate. I mean, there’s always some kind of crazy drama going on over there.” 

“And the people living in the tower are not also walking time-bombs? Need I remind you …

“YES, yes, I realize that the Avengers are crazy-pants, too. But it’s a different brand of crazy, I can’t explain it.” 

“Don’t you forget that you are our particular brand of crazy.” 

“I don’t. And I’m proud of my crazy. But for now, I like the idea of living in Manhattan for the time-being…and I just didn’t have the energy to think about finding my own place. I need a breather for a minute. And, fyi? Dad doesn’t hover.” 

“I don’t hover.” 

“Mom. You’ve spent most of my adult life trying to convince me to move back in with you, and attempting to wrestle me into a uniform that’s ninety percent corset. I'm not comfortable wearing ‘fuck-me-pumps’ and a top that barely covers my nipples 24/7. Honestly, I have no idea how you do it. ” 

“Fine. If that’s the way you feel, but it doesn’t change the fact that you could conquer the world with those assets you inherited from me.” 

Darcy sighed. “I suppose I’m a disappointment to both of my parents. I just don’t have the kind of ambition to be anything where my superhero name could include the word 'Queen'.

“I’ll be over here holding out hope, sweetie. And speaking of ambition, are you still working with that Dr. Foster?” 

She shook her head, as she knew that her mother never really liked Jane very much, accusing her of influencing Darcy’s so-called poor fashion choices, but when you’re hanging out in cold and rainy London, or a chilly night-time desert, sweaters, cardigans, and scarves just made sense. “Yeah, mom. Jane’s already set up over here … I was just staying in London out of some pathetic hope that I could work things out with Ian, but it’s over. It’s done.” 

“He was never good enough for you, Darcy.” 

“Why? Because he wasn’t rich and powerful?” 

Darcy could hear her mother click her tongue. “No, honey. Because he wasn't your equal. Honestly, there’s not many people out there who _could_ be your equal, I see you needing more than what just one man can give you … and that boy was always sadly outmatched. I really have no idea what you saw in him.” 

“Well...Ian was…normal. Too normal, in the end. I mean, he loved to go bird-watching. I thought it was adorable at first, but turns out, it’s annoying. And I realize now that it was naive, but it was nice being around a guy who’s biggest fear was Arsenal losing a soccer match, or football, or whatever. Not, you know, if his mutant abilities could kill people unintentionally. Plus, he saved my life.”

“That’s total bullshit. You could have saved your own life.” 

Darcy shrugged. “Yeah, but that’s not the point. He didn’t think twice about defending me…and he did it before I had to blow my cover.” 

“So you’re still insisting on staying in the closet? Still using your middle name instead of Frost?” 

“I thought you understood this, mom. I just want to be my own person. You and dad cast very long shadows. Once people find out who my parents are, it’s all they see in me. They’re like, ‘oh, she inherited Emma Frost’s boobs and Tony Stark’s sarcasm, but isn’t it such a shame that she didn’t inherit her mother’s supermodel body and perfect blonde hair ... along with her father’s genius swaggering charm.' I'd rather just be me.” 

“You are so very beautiful, my precious girl, _and_ charismatic.” 

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Maybe. But not quite as beautiful as you, and not as charismatic as dad, and that would be my legacy. Almost, but not quite, as good as my parents.” 

“You’re being ridiculous.” 

“Maybe. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Think we could move on to something else?” 

“Fine. But why are you still following Jane Foster around? You could be doing anything you want. Anything.” 

She paced around her new apartment. “I love the work. And Jane is my best friend, my ‘bond girl’, things are just more fun with her, it’s comforting, being around her … and I need that right now.” 

“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve bought into that silly ‘bond’ nonsense.” 

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” 

“I have no desire to be a slave to the more baser instincts of humanity, and neither should you. You are more than human, Darcy.” 

“I used to feel that way too, but having a bond, that connection, having a soul-sister, it’s actually pretty amazing. It’s nice, knowing that there’s someone out there who will always have your back, no matter what. There’s something inside of you that just calms down, when you’re around them. And I can talk to her about anything.” 

“That’s nonsense. You can talk to me about anything.” 

“Nope. I cannot talk to my mother about 5th-level orgasms, for example.” 

“Sure you can, honey, I’m a licensed sex therapist.” 

Darcy winced at the thought of pouring her heart out to her mother about her sex-life. “Ew. NO. Gross. I’m already traumatized just thinking about it.” 

“Let’s go shopping soon, and I’ll prove you wrong," her mother said eagerly. "We'll get you some new Jimmy Choos, I can already see all the dreary Doc Martens you dragged back from London.” 

“I don’t get along with heels, mom. You know that.” 

“Well, it’s time you got properly acquainted. You’re a grown woman, and heels are more than just shoes. They are a weapon with many uses. It’s way past time you learned how to master them.” 

Darcy pinched the bridge of her nose … sometimes it was just easier to agree and move on, when it came to dealing with Emma _Sex is a Weapon_ Frost.

“Fine, mom,” she said, while looking out of her floor to ceiling windows. The view of the city was breath-taking, and it felt good to be home. It was comforting to be in the same state as both of her parents, even if they drove her slightly batshit half the time. Despite being what was probably the strangest and most unorthodox mom and dad that a girl could have, she knew they loved her, while still knowing exactly what she was. 

XXXXX 

Darcy was curled up in her new huge comfortable bed, so much better than anything she’d slept on during her stay in London. She had forgotten how insanely cozy her father’s luxurious taste could be. He’d even installed remote-controlled covers for the windows to completely block out the sunshine, so it felt like nighttime in broad daylight, which was insanely convenient, given the jet-lag she’d been plagued with. 

She turned on her side and wrapped her arms around a pillow, hugging it to her body with a sigh of absolute pleasure. 

But as usual, it didn’t last for long. 

“Miss Darcy, your father requests that you pick up your phone,” said a loud disembodied voice. 

She sat up and blinked. “Friday?” 

Darcy still hadn’t gotten used to her dad’s new female A.I. assistant and missed J.A.R.V.I.S. terribly, though it wasn't like he was exactly gone...just different. She was still coming to terms with him being a walking magenta robot-Jesus guy. 

“Yes. Sorry for the intrusion, but he is in distress.” 

“Because of course he is.” Darcy rolled her eyes, and reached over to press the remote that let the sunlight in. She then felt around on the bed for her phone and answered it. It had been on silent, as she’d wanted to get some proper sleep, and saw that she’d missed about 20 calls. Okay. So her dad wasn't lying about being in distress, then. Awesome.

Darcy heard a bunch of yelling at first when she answered the phone. Male voices. She practically had to yell to be heard over them. “Hello??? What’s goin’ on?” 

“Cupcake! You finally answered. Listen, I need your help.” 

“Yeah, I know. Friday just woke me up to tell me. Where are you?” 

“I don’t have time for big long explanations at the moment, we’ll catch up as soon as we get out of this, but for now, I need you to do exactly what I say, capiche? I’d do it myself, but I’m currently, um, a bit tied up.”

There was a bunch of scuffling, and she could hear other voices shouting again. “Did he just say Cupcake? Who the hell is Cupcake?” someone that was definitely not her dad yelled. 

“Hold on. Am I on your com? Scratch that. Of course I'm on your com. _Why_ am I on your com?” 

“That's another long story involving two guys, a live reptile, and several lasers. For the sake of expediency, let's just say my phone isn’t exactly working right now, and I’m using the suit. It’s a whole thing, like I said, I’ll explain later. Anyway, the important thing is that I’m here with Cap and Boy Wonder, and we only have about ten minutes of oxygen left before we get to find out how long we can hold our breath. It's a bit of a pickle, and I’m afraid that the supersoldiers’ lung capacity will keep going long after mine. You know me, kid, I just can’t have that, so I need your help. Get on your computer, get to our network.” 

“Holy, shit, dude! I mean, no pressure or anything!” Darcy stumbled out of bed and hit her toe on the corner of her night-stand. She doubled over in pain. “ _Motherfucker_!”

“Captain America can hear you, Cupcake, and he doesn’t like that kind of language.” 

“Well Captain motherfucking America is just gonna have to motherfucking deal with it, if you want me to get you out of this motherfucking situation.” 

“That’s my girl,” Tony said, pride in his voice.

“I like this Cupcake,” said another voice. 

“Hey, Anakin Skywalker, did you not just hear me say that’s _my_ girl. Back off.”

Darcy hobbled over to her desk, opened her laptop, and signed into her dad’s super-secret network. “Alright alright, I’m in. What do you need me to do?” 

“We're down to five minutes,” said a voice. 

“Who is that?” Darcy asked, curious. The voice sounded hot. Which...okay, was that weird? Finding a voice that hot? Did she normally find voices hot?

“Er, Steve Rogers, ma’am,” he replied.

“Yeah, we don’t need your input right now, spangle-pants,” Tony said. "Where's the tubing? The...no...the blue. Oh for the love of..."

“Who’s the other guy?” Darcy interrupted. 

“Bucky Barnes,” the other voice replied. “Pleased to meet you, Cupcake. You as sweet as the name implies?”

She rolled her eyes. Sounded like the Winter Soldier had gotten back in tune with his previous self, the one with all the famous charm, but his line only reminded her of a smarmy old man. 

“That would be a no, Agent Barnes,” she retorted. “And, for the record, only one man gets to call me ‘Cupcake’, and still live to see tomorrow, and that man is definitely not you.”

“I think you mean _Sergeant_ Barnes, cookie. Got the stripes and everything.” 

Darcy frowned. Cookie? Really? She almost took a minute to be offended, and opened up her mouth for some major snark, but her dad brought her back down to Earth. 

“OKAY CAN WE MOVE PAST THE INTRODUCTIONS, AS WE HAVE 4 MINUTES OF OXYGEN LEFT AND THE TUBING SEEMS TO HAVE DISAPPEARED!” 

“Alright! Alright. _God._ Start giving me the numbers. I’m waitin’ on you.” 

“Good to have you back, Cupcake. Okay …” 

Her dad began to give her the instructions that would get him and his two mission-companions out of mortal peril. She hadn’t even been home two hours before shit went down. Darcy hoped it wasn’t a sign that major drama was on the horizon. She knew better, however, than to think she could have a chill couple of months before figuring out what to do next. Being around her mom and dad always brought out the drama. 

As she figured out the codes that would save everyone’s lives, she smiled. “There’s no place like home,” she said, not realizing that it was out loud. 

“Hey, I understood that reference!” Steve shouted.

“Yeah, that’s real nice for you, Captain Tight Pants,” Darcy shot back, momentarily distracted. “Everyone understands that reference. People living in remote rainforests who have never used electricity, let alone seen a movie, understand that reference. Crazy mountain-men living off the grid in Alaska understand that reference. Babies just out of the womb understand that reference.”

Darcy could hear extremely attractive laughter in the background. Because apparently finding laughter attractive was a thing she did now along with finding voices hot. Was that Barnes laughing? Ugh.

“Um. We’re down to three minutes, Cupcake. Three minutes. Believe me, I understand how easy he makes it, but I’mma need you to concentrate right now.” 

She shook herself out. Her dad’s life was a little more important than snarking on Captain America, the guy with the ridiculous spangly outfit complete with stupid little wings painted on the sides of his helmet … the one she’d talk to her dad on the phone about all the time, the Avenger who could walk on water in the sea of self-righteousness. 

“Okay, okay. Let’s do this,” she said, and set herself to work.

**********A Few Days Later in the Avengers Tower**********

“So, if ‘Cupcake’ isn’t Tony’s bit on the side, who do you think she is?”

Steve looked over at Bucky, who was stretched out across the couch in his apartment, idly tossing a baseball up into the air and catching it while they waited for the pizzas to arrive. He’d been wondering when this would crop up again. There was no way Bucky was going to let the identity of the mystery girl from their last mission go. It had started almost immediately after she’d signed off the coms.

“That Cupcake girl was awful helpful today,” Bucky had said casually to Stark. “Got us out of a jam pretty quick too.” 

“Yes she is,” Tony replied. “And yes she did.”

Bucky nodded. “Friend of yours?”

“Something in that direction. Hey, Friday? Did Natasha send the new coordinates yet? I can fly this bird, but I’d like to know where I’m going. You know, for landing purposes. Cap here may be able to exit without a parachute, but I prefer to use an actual runway.” He reached up above his head, and flipped some switches. “So? Coordinates? Anytime now would be good, we’ve got a mountain range coming up.”

“One moment, boss. I’m contacting her now.” Several seconds passed before the AI spoke again. “The coordinates have been programmed into the quinjet flight navigation system. Your destination is an abandoned airfield about ten minutes from base camp. Recovery transport has been arranged for you.”

“Will Cupcake be meeting you when we get there?” Bucky asked Tony.

Stark didn’t even glance in Bucky’s direction. “Hate to burst your bubble there, Skywalker, but we can play Cupcake is None of Your Business all day long if you want, and, newsflash? You’re going to lose every round.”

Steve shot Bucky a look then, warning him off, and his friend subsided. Not that Steve’s own curiosity wasn’t piqued. There was something about the brief interaction with the quick-witted girl over the coms that left him wanting to know more about her as well. It was strange that he had this level of interest in a woman he hadn’t even seen.

Not that it mattered. He and Bucky weren’t really good candidates when it came to dating. If the double-Alpha package deal thing didn’t put them out of the running, the possibility that they’d end up being too much for any one Omega to handle was very real. Then there was explaining the type of platonic bond situation they had to begin with. That usually didn’t go well.

This was all hypothetical anyway, because finding an Omega that appealed to both him and Bucky had turned out to be a lost cause. So far none had. Not for either of them. Steve was an optimist, but even he figured over ninety years without a single girl feeling right didn’t warrant a lot of hope. 

There had been Peggy, but Peggy was an anomaly. A Beta who won Steve’s heart with her warmth, dry wit, and endless reserve of tenacity. She hadn’t connected with Bucky, though, which had been difficult, but she was there after he fell. Peggy picked up the pieces, and kept Steve going...and then he lost her as well. First to time, and then, more recently, forever. 

Pretty much since he'd been thawed, Steve had resigned himself to being alone. Dedicating himself to the cause of the Avengers left little time for anything else. It had been a lonely existence. One in which Steve never even dated an Omega, let alone took one to bed or bonded one. 

Bucky, though… Bucky was a different story. He didn’t discuss it much, but Steve gleaned enough from the things he _had_ said to know that HYDRA had attempted to match Bucky with a willing Omega more often than Bucky wanted to talk or even think about. The fact that he’d taken some to bed even though he hadn’t been interested, he talked about even less.

“I didn’t want to, Stevie,” he’d said, cringing slightly. “They had me so jacked up on stimulants I couldn’t help myself. Those poor girls. I… I wasn’t myself.”

“It’s okay, Buck,” Steve had replied. “That’s never happening again.”

That had been the end of the conversation, and the end of all conversation regarding Omegas in general. Bucky brought up the topic of women sometimes. Steve did too. It was hard not to notice them, the Avengers facility was full of intelligent, attractive women, but noticing them was all they did. 

So why this particular faceless woman had them both so fixated was a question Steve couldn’t answer. He could only chalk it up to the heavy dose of personality she managed to infuse in their interaction over the coms. It was no secret that Steve had a type, and assertive was high up on the list of traits that got his motor running, Bucky too. The whole exchange with her had taken less than five minutes, but the amount of sass she was packing was impossible to miss. Steve suspected the girl could probably talk circles around Tony. Hell, she’d done it while saving all their skins from certain death. 

“Hey, jackass, are you gonna answer my question, or stare off into space for another five minutes?” Bucky asked in an irritated tone, chucking the ball at him. “How do you think she’s connected to Stark?”

The baseball glanced off Steve’s shoulder, and rolled away down the hall. He watched it bounce harmlessly off his door, before saying, “I don’t know, Buck. It doesn’t matter either way, does it? You’re not getting an answer out of Tony, and even if you did…” He shrugged, indicating the pointlessness of pursuing someone after their more than seventy plus years of bad luck.

“Even if _we_ did, you mean,” Bucky countered. 

“Buck.”

“Maybe she’d smell right.”

“ _Buck_ ,” Steve tried again.

Bucky shifted on the couch, sitting up with his elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped between them. “She might. Even her voice felt different, Steve. You have to admit it. There was something there.”

“We were oxygen deprived.” 

“Oxygen deprived," Bucky scoffed. "Is this because she called you Captain Tight Pants?”

Steve narrowed his eyes at Bucky’s grinning face. “That’s real funny, Buck. Big talk coming from the guy whose life I seem to recall her threatening once or twice during the conversation.”

“Yeah, but did you ever think maybe I liked it?”

All Steve could do was snort. Some things never changed. 

“We could at least use your clearances to find out who she is,” Bucky said.

“You just don’t give up, do you?”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Fine.” Steve huffed impatiently, and said, “Friday, do you have any information on an individual in the SHIELD files with the pseudonym ‘Cupcake’?”

“Unfortunately, those files are restricted, Captain Rogers,” the AI replied.

Bucky sat straight up. “You’re kidding me. There’s really a girl with the code name _Cupcake_ in the files?”

“As I said to Captain Rogers, those files are restricted,” Friday repeated calmly.

“By who?” Steve asked, trying to keep the incredulity out of his voice.

“I’m not at liberty to disclose that,” she informed him.

Steve made a final attempt to get more information. “Can you tell me if she’s currently in the Avengers Tower?” His security clearances gave him full access to all personnel, residents, and registered civilian visitors in the building at all times. If the mysterious girl _was_ in the building, and Friday refused to tell him, it could be considered a security breach.

There was a lengthy silence before Friday answered. “She is, but she is not a threat, and that is all I can tell you. Will there be anything else, Captain?”

“No. Thank you, Friday.”

There was an immediate response inside Steve when he found out the girl was so close. One glance at Bucky told him his friend was feeling it too.

“Cupcake is _in_ the building,” Bucky said quietly.

“We’re not pursuing this,” Steve replied, but the moment the words were out of his mouth, he knew they were a lie. They were absolutely pursuing this. And soon.


	2. Sweet Cherry Cupcake Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy and her mom have a little chat, Bucky and Steve get a big surprise, and Tony is pretty much done with everything. (and we mean everything)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY FLIPPING A, PEOPLE!!!! Annie and I have been completely floored by the response to this story. Seriously. This is pretty much all we have done since Sunday:  
>   
> No lie. We are ridiculously excited to see all of you here reading this little fic. Thank you for every hit, bookmark, kudo, and review. You guys are awesome!!!! <3 <3 <3
> 
> ************************************************

It had been awhile since Darcy had seen her mother face to face, and at first, it always took her breath away. Every little girl thinks their mother is the most beautiful woman in the world in the beginning, but in her case, it was actually quite true. And Emma Frost was still stunning, her mutant genes basically freezing the aging process, it seemed. And there she was, sitting across her daughter in her classic white, wearing a skin-tight blouse, leather pants, and boots with spiked heels, which was actually pretty conservative get-up for her. Then there was Darcy, almost the very opposite in black. Emma was tall, Darcy was on the shorter side. Emma was blonde, hair straight as a board and tamed with a perfect blow-out, and Darcy had dark waves tumbling past her shoulders. Though they both did have the same sparkling blue eyes, the younger woman had an added depth to them, a warmth, perhaps inherited from the Stark side of things.

Darcy looked down and took a glance at her text messages, while her mother ordered food for them both at a trendy “raw” restaurant in Greenwich Village. There were exactly two, and she smiled while reading the first one.

_“I heard you were in town, senorita! When are we going out for chimichangas and blow jobs?”_

The second made her frown, a wrinkle appearing between her eyes as she scanned the words.

_“I understand 'welcome back' is in order, so welcome back, Miss Darcy. Also, I had an interesting interaction with Sergeant Barnes this morning, in which he tried to nonchalantly ask who ‘Cupcake’ was. And though I have memories of a certain ‘Cupcake’ since she was about 3 years of age, I also know that particular knowledge is closely guarded by her, so I am giving you what kids these days call a ‘head’s up’, as my new form has proven to be just as fond of you as my old one was.”_

“Blow jobs, Darcy? With Wade of all people?”

Emma brought her frowning daughter out of her thoughts about a certain “Sergeant Barnes”…and the echos of his ridiculously attractive laugh. “Mom, stop reading my text messages telepathically.”

“I won’t go easy on you any longer, sweetie, if you’re not even bothering to try to block me out.”

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Give me at least a few days to get used to being back around ‘gifted’ people, alright? I’ve only been around mythological gods as of late…and besides, ‘blow jobs’ are just shots, at least the kind that Wilson is talking about. Nothing but straight up Bailey’s, Kahlua, and whipped cream.”

“I see. And what is your father’s new walking science-experiment talking of?”

She shook her head, still trying to think of J.A.R.V.I.S. as an actual guy. A really really pink guy. “Vision. He’s trying to be all … brotherly? Uncle-y? Or something? I don’t know. It’s like having an A.I. Gandhi as a quasi-relative. Anyway. I had to help dad out the other day with a mission, and I ended up sort of interacting with Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers, and apparently they’re curious about who I am, because they are obviously rampant masochists. Or something along those lines. I dunno. I was pretty rude to them.”

“Men love that,” Emma winked, as she took a sip of her cold-pressed green juice cocktail. “It’s a challenge. Especially to men like them.”

Darcy raised a brow. “Men like them?”

“Alphas.”

“How do you know they’re Alphas?”

“I mean in a more general sense. They’re both super soldiers, strong, virile, they’re used to winning. Having power. They’ll see a strong-spirited girl as a challenge, they’ll instantly have a need to figure out how to bend her over,” her mother said with a grin.

“Ugh. Mom? We’ve been shopping for hours, my feet hurt, we’ve only been sitting for like, five minutes, I really don’t want to talk about ‘bending over’ with my mother. Thanks. Change of subject please. And can I have vodka in my green juice?”

Emma pretended not to notice Darcy’s request. “They’re also both incredibly attractive, Darcy. Pick one. Or both. I don’t see why you can’t have a little fun, get your mind off your human from London, be reminded of what a more, well, _endowed_ man can do for you.”

Darcy put her palm to her forehead. “Nope. I’m noping out of this conversation. Wait … no, first, I mean, really? Do you not remember everything they put dad through? In case you forgot, I was very much _‘hashtag team Iron Man’_ , and I thought you were too?”

Emma gave a casual wave of her hand. “We were officially neutral.”

“Whatever.”

“Honey, I understand what it’s like being in the middle of men’s little squabbles, they take themselves so very seriously all the damn time. Things would be very different, and probably in a much better and more sane way, if Charles and Erik could not fuck everything up for all of us every few years or so, but it’s their way, and you learn to navigate through their messes.”

Darcy pursed her lips. “Right. Well, dad has a tentative truce with Captain Tight Pants and James 'Insert-Forgettable-President-Here' Barnes, and is still mending the whole ‘friend’ thing, and ‘Avengers’ thing for the good of Earth and mankind and all that magnanimous bullshit, so I’mma just navigate myself right outta that mess.”

Emma just shrugged. “Sure, for now.”

“Really? Me? Actually getting with one of them? That one vein on dad’s forehead would pop right off his face!” Darcy hissed.

Her mother only shrugged, unaffected. “I always found that extremely humorous.”

Darcy snorted. “Not for me.”

Emma tilted her chin, signaling that she was about to be serious. “Remember, baby, I know you. You’re intrigued. It’s okay, to be intrigued. One of these days, you will find that you need someone, and you’ll realize that messing around with boys who are not your equal is a waste of your precious time. And fine, do it when you’re young, get it out of your system, do your bit of wandering around, but being with an _equal_ …that can be quite the adventure, my darling girl, and one that I do not want you to miss out on, as it is more thrilling and life-affirming than being in the middle of any of these fantastical events that seem to have plagued our kind lately. Ever since your Asgardian fell from the sky, there has been a quickening, and I feel as if sometime soon, our global squabbles will seem unfairly petty, when compared to what is coming. So _live_ , Darcy. And above all else, love. Love someone as fully and completely as you love your friends and your family … because it will shape you in ways you never knew possible.”

Darcy blinked, a bit shocked at her mother’s candidness, but perhaps it was something she needed to hear. “You know I’ve never cared about finding an Alpha. They’ve never really done it for me. But I’ve been in love,” she said quietly.

Her mother gave her a lazy smile, retreating a bit from her momentary seriousness. “You’ve had your boys, your fun … as I have had mine. But an equal, a consort, that’s altogether different. And I’m not talking about some silly human caveman bond, but an active choice.”

Darcy shrugged, while wondering who her mom could possibly be thinking of, when she thought of an “equal” to herself. Her dad? Scott? That was one thing, however, that she didn’t want to openly talk about that day. “Okay,” she said. “Maybe you’re right. But why are you stuck on the super soldiers?”

Emma grinned. “Because … I could hear the echo of laughter in your mind, how it lit you up … and how you thought a certain voice felt like being wrapped up in your favorite blanket on a chilly evening.”

“Ugh. Okay.” Darcy closed her eyes and concentrated. “Mind-blocks in place.”

“It’s for your own good, sweetie. Blocks are necessary. We’re not the only mutants in the area.”

Darcy picked up her green juice cocktail. “Heard. Loud and clear.” She took a sip before speaking again, surprised at how good it actually was. “But me actually meeting Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes face to face? I can’t imagine it wouldn’t end with me rolling my eyes so hard that I’d pull a muscle in my face. Captain America especially. He just seems like such a tool. And Bucky? What kind of name is that? He sounds like a farm boy. How do I take someone named ‘Bucky’ seriously? I just feel like I’d be compelled to boss him around, like, ‘Farmboy! Fetch me that pitcher!’ I just don’t see how that would work out for any of us.”

Emma gave her an approving smile. “He’d probably love that, actually. And with you in your new Jimmy Choos…you’ll have those gorgeous male specimens on their knees, begging for mercy. I suspect you’re going to learn all about your new weapons, my darling.”

Darcy set her drink down. “Yep. A heel right through their jugular.”

“That’s only one option. There are several others that are much more fun.”

“Gross, mom. Okay, we really do need to change the subject, or I really am going to need vodka.”

XXXXX

After Darcy had all of her shopping sent up to her place, and before showing her new apartment to her mom, she made a stop on a special floor to see someone she’d missed terribly, and who had just returned from a business trip.

“Pepper!”

She ran surprisingly well in her new heels to greet one of her most favorite people on the planet.

Pepper instantly embraced her, not caring about wrinkling her stylish crisp suit. “Darcy! You look gorgeous,” she said, as she stood back to take a look.

Darcy blushed. “Well … I’ve just been around town with mom. Shopping, the salon, a dose of raw cuisine…but I had to put my foot down at mother/daughter colonics.”

Emma strutted up behind them. “As you said to me the other day, ‘don’t knock it till you’ve tried it’. They’re refreshingly freeing.”

Darcy turned around and grinned at her mom. “Maybe next time.” It was strange, but she felt good, like pieces of puzzles were coming together, as if home had never felt more home-like. Her mom was there, her recent quasi-stepmother, whom she had always adored, was there, and not far off, was her dad, on his way to greet them from his office.

“Would you look at that,” she could hear her dad’s voice from behind. She turned to see him gliding down the hallway in a three-piece suit. “My baby-mama, my one true love, and my little girl, all together. For some men, this could be awkward. Lucky for me, I'm never awkward, and I love being surrounded by beautiful women. It's a win win, really.”

All three of his “beautiful women” rolled their eyes at him.

“Hey, Dad,” Darcy said fondly, leaning towards him for a hug.

“Cupcake!” Tony wrapped her up in a hug, lifting her straight off her feet just as he’d done when she was little. “How’s the brilliant, genetically blessed fruit of my loins?”

His welcome was immediately interrupted by loud crashing, followed by a noisy commotion. Darcy didn’t even flinch. Partly because unexplained crashes and commotion weren’t exactly unusual for spending time with her father, but more importantly because she was suddenly surrounded by the strangely intriguing scent that had been catching her attention since she’d moved into the tower. Except this time, it was less intriguing than it was completely mesmerizing. Just breathing it in made her feel all fizzy inside.

Tony put her down, and she instinctively reached behind her to find her mother’s hand. It was an automatic thing, something she would do as a little girl, to communicate with her mom. As a tiny Darcy would grab ahold of her hand to tell her what she couldn’t seem to find the words for, and that gesture was how Emma learned of her daughter's gifts. It happened less and less after Darcy learned to speak, but it was always something she’d do under deep stress or serious emotion.

She latched her fingers onto her mother’s, sending her a message. Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on Christmas morning!

It wasn’t words exactly, but a mental image. A description, of sorts. An antique stove in a cabin with a fireplace and its sweet smoke. The aroma of fresh baking sugary dough and rich dark chocolate. There was also spicy cinnamon, evergreen, and fairy lights. A glimpse of a vision. Emma and Darcy’s eyes widened, locked with each other. Her mother then nudged her to look behind them.

As soon as she saw them, it was like something shifted inside of her, and her skin felt as if it were vibrating. It was the two super soldiers, tripping over each other, both red in the face, and her mind tripped in its effort to identify exactly how adorable and incredibly gorgeous they looked. She could only register shock at the moment.

Her brain caught up a few moments later, and with it, her mouth. “Oh, fuck me,” Darcy said. “You exist. And you smell like warm chocolate chip cookies…and...is that… Does one of you smell like Christmas? How the _fuck_ do you smell like Christmas? Like… _how_? That shit is patently unfair.”

“I knew it. Didn’t I say you were too much for one man to handle, sweetie?” her mother remarked smugly.

Darcy could practically hear the cogs turning in his brain as her dad processed what was going on.

“No. No, no, no,” Tony muttered under his breath. “Not one of the ancient icebox twins. No way.”

“It’s both, actually,” Emma said to him in a sotto voice.

“Nope. Absolutely not,” he said, and grabbed Darcy’s arm so he could steer her towards the elevators. Darcy tried, and failed, to remove her arm from his grip as he set security protocols and requested for Friday to have Banner call.

“Dad,” she said urgently, still staring at the two men who were watching her being carted off by her father.

“No,” he replied.

“Dad, seriously…”

“Yeah. No. Say goodbye to your new friends, and get in the elevator.”

Darcy tried again to free her arm while her father exchanged words with her mother and Pepper, but it was useless. She had one last glimpse of the pair of Alphas...her Alphas apparently, and holy shit she had _two_...before the doors shut in her face, cutting them off from view.

 

*********************************************************************

Bucky couldn’t believe it. They’d finally seen the elusive Cupcake, only to find out she was Stark’s daughter. He and Steve were still recovering from the encounter, both of them sitting up to the breakfast bar in Bucky’s apartment in the tower, trying to figure out what to do. To be honest, Bucky wasn't exactly surprised that their Omega came with complications. It fit in with every other aspect of their lives. Of course she was Tony Stark's kid, they should have realized it from the start, and if they'd actually been thinking with their heads and not just their Alpha instincts, they probably would have.

They’d known she was somewhere in the Avenger’s Tower, and had been for at least a week. He and Steve still hadn’t been able to track her down, but here and there Bucky would run into a lingering trace of a scent he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was as if he _should_ know it, but the still-sometimes muddied waters of his mind refused to play nice and provide the source. The whole thing was frustrating as all get out. Bucky was sure it was connected to the Cupcake girl somehow, and the fact that he was so attracted to it had to mean something important.

He kept telling Steve that, but Steve? Yeah, Steve had still been in denial. No surprise there. He claimed there was no scent, even though Bucky caught him breathing in deeply as well whenever they ran across it.

“We’re not pursuing it,” he’d said a few nights before.

Fuck that. Bucky knew full well that Steve’s constant attempts at swaying him meant he wasn’t alone in what he was feeling.

Then this afternoon they’d decided to go out and get something to eat. Nothing unusual about that. There wasn’t a restaurant in a ten block radius around the Tower that he and Steve hadn’t checked out at least once. This time, though, the smell was there as they exited the lobby. It was just a tiny whiff, but Bucky could hear Steve’s sharp inhale when it crossed their path. Not pursuing it, huh? His friend practically chased it across the marble tiles and out the door.

It disappeared into the crowd on the sidewalk outside, however. Both of them emitted groans of disappointment as they realized the trail had gone cold.

“Just when are you gonna admit you’re as sunk as I am?” Bucky asked him as he looked at Steve's dejected face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Buck,” Steve responded. “Where do you want to eat?”

And that was the end of it. At least until after they’d eaten and were on their way back. They weren’t more than a block from the Tower when the scent hit them, stronger and more potent than ever. Bucky could almost taste it each time he breathed it in. The closer they got to home, the better it smelled.

Ten feet from the doors, his synapses started firing off like crazy as the rose and jasmine essence washed over him. It smelled like innocence, like the past, like Coney fucking Island, and beaches full of happy, smiling people. A wave of nostalgia hit him so hard, it felt like a punch in the gut.

“Ambre Solaire,” Steve whispered, stopping dead in his tracks.

Bucky stopped too, shoulder to shoulder with Steve. People on the sidewalk had to part around them as both men stood stock still, just remembering.

“Jesus Christ,” Bucky said, the scent licking across his tongue. “That’s one hell of an Omega, Stevie.”

“She might be wearing it,” Steve reasoned desperately. “Like a perfume or something. It might not be natural.”

“You kidding me right now? _She might be wearing it_ ,” Bucky mimicked. “I always knew you were stubborn, but this is ridiculous. Omega is Omega, and that, buddy, is a goddamn Omega. An Omega who has us both hot and bothered. For once.”

“Do you think it’s her?” he asked.

Bucky could feel the tension flowing through Steve. It was a twin of the feeling coursing through his own veins at that moment while they both stared at thick glass doors.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Bucky said.

Somehow, and Bucky wasn’t really sure how, because rational thought was a little bit hard to find just then, they both made it through the doors. The scent seemed to pulse in the contained air of the lobby, and they were both drawn to it like a compass to true North.

That’s when they caught their first glimpse of her. First heard her voice, excited and happy, and just a little bit strained. She was surrounded by people, but Bucky could make out hints of lush curves, and sparkling blue eyes. Someone enveloped her in their arms, and Bucky frowned as he realized it was Tony Stark.

“Cupcake!” the billionaire crowed. “How’s the brilliant, genetically blessed fruit of my loins?”

Upon hearing Stark’s words, Bucky ran straight into the receptionist desk. Steve was right behind him, the two of them colliding with a loud, “Oof!”

The previously stationary desk was pushed several feet towards the wall with a harsh screech as it was knocked off its moorings, and the poor guy behind it had to scramble out of the way to avoid being crushed.

It wasn’t exactly the most auspicious beginning. Bucky wondered if anyone would notice if he and Steve quietly left and drowned themselves in the Hudson. Then the girl turned to see what all the commotion was about, and when she finally came into full view, every fiber of Bucky’s body felt like it was set alive and humming.

She was gorgeous. Scratch that. She was everything Bucky didn’t know he’d always wanted, along with everything he’d always known he _had_ , and he was stuck standing across the room from her with his mouth hanging open like a complete idiot.

“Shit,” Steve muttered, and Bucky didn’t need to glance behind him to see his friend was going through the same thing. He could _feel_ it vibrating through their bond.

Everyone else went silent as the threesome gazed at each other in shock. The girl remained completely silent, but wide-eyed, cheeks going pale.

Finally, she opened her mouth, took a deep breath, and said, “Oh, fuck me. You exist. And you smell like warm chocolate chip cookies…and...is that… Does one of you smell like Christmas? How the _fuck_ do you smell like Christmas? Like… _how_? That shit is patently unfair.”

Pepper looked utterly stunned, but the tall blonde woman standing next to her smiled with satisfaction, and said, “I knew it. Didn’t I say you were too much for one man to handle, sweetie?”

Tony, who had been standing there with his jaw on the floor, immediately snapped into action.

“Nope,” he declared, while hustling the girl in the direction of the bank of elevators. “Absolutely not. Friday, elevator. Now. Straight up to the penthouse, and set security protocols. No one, and I mean no one, especially not the Patriotic Acrobat and his cybernetic sidekick, are allowed to follow.” He paused a moment in his tirade, and then said, “Except Banner. Get him on the phone, stat. We need to have a little chat about genetic mutations.”

“Dad,” the girl said, as the elevator doors opened.

“No,” he replied.

“Dad, seriously.”

“Yeah. No. Say goodbye to your new friends, and get in the elevator.”

The statuesque blonde woman was eyeing Stark with clear annoyance. “Tony, don’t you think this is a bit much?”

Even Pepper seemed a little irked. “Tony,” she began, in a clear tone of censure.

“Um, what was that?” He held his hand up to his ear. “I can’t quite hear you. Oh well. We have to go now. Lots of parent child catching up to do. Bye!”

With that he tugged the girl after him into the elevator, and the doors snapped shut. The last thing Bucky heard was a loud sigh which obviously came from her. Then she was gone, leaving only her scent, and a room full of awkward eye-contact, behind her.

It had been even more awkward to disentangle themselves from the reception desk so they could greet Pepper, and the blonde...who turned out to be the girl’s mother. Bucky had no words for how weird that was. Somehow they got through it, though. Pepper assured them she would look into what was going on, before stalking over to an elevator herself, Darcy’s mother right behind her.

He and Steve got themselves together. It wasn't easy, they were both more than a little thrown by the whole thing, and went up to Bucky’s place...where they were still camped out and waiting for some kind of word from Pepper. At least, that’s who Bucky expected when there was a knock on his door. He was still a bit numb as he got up to answer it, and had no idea what to say when the person on the other side turned out to be Banner instead.

“I heard you two had an interesting afternoon,” Bruce said.

“You could say that,” Bucky answered warily. “I take it this isn’t just a social call?”

Banner nodded. “Can I come in?”

“Are you here to explain what the hell happened in the lobby earlier? Because Stevie and I aren't usually affected by Omegas like that.”

“I hope so,” he replied. “At least, I might have a theory.”

Bucky stepped back and swung the door open. “Then come on in.”


	3. Triple Red White and Blueberry Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bruce has an explanation, Bucky is always right, and Steve has an epic lack of chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the chapter of total fake-ass science in which your authors proudly display their degrees from 'We Made This Crap Up Using Every Scientific Term We Know Plus Help From Google' University - AKA - We are not geneticists. But we will pretend for the sake of a fic.
> 
> Yup. We know the science is all nonsense, but then again, we're talking about a world where Thor uses a disco-rainbow to get to work, and Scott Lang can talk to ants. So, you know...eh. We're pretty sure you guys are decent at suspending your sense of disbelief at this point. ;D
> 
> ***************************************************

Banner had barely pulled up a chair at Bucky’s kitchen table before Steve could tell the scientist’s sit down with Tony had been a rough one. The man seemed more strained than usual. There were tight lines around his mouth, and his hair was a mess from agitatedly running his hand through it. He opened the oversize messenger bag that he’d brought along with him, and began laying what looked like hastily scrawled notes on the tabletop along with his Starkpad. 

“You said there might be an explanation for what happened this afternoon?” Steve asked, glancing down at the rows of cramped handwriting on the papers in front of him.

“I...yes. You have to understand, I have no proof yet, it’s all conjecture stemming from a study I read about that’s being conducted right now by a Doctor Leisy in Switzerland,” Bruce replied. He switched on the Starkpad, and spun it around to face Steve and Bucky. “She’s the leading expert in the field of Alpha, Omega, and Beta genetic coding, and her research has been extensive. This is a summary of her findings.”

Steve took the pad, holding it up so both he and Bucky could read it. “Genome sequencing?” he said. “You think our reaction today was genetic?”

“I think that you, Sergeant Barnes, and Miss Lewis all share a specific gene variant within the Alpha and Omega spectrum. One that gives you a level of control over your body’s reactions that most other Alphas and Omegas don’t have,” Banner answered.

Bucky looked up immediately. “Miss Lewis? Not Miss Stark?”

“She chooses to use her middle name as opposed to her actual surname from what I understand,” Bruce said. “In any case, her last name was never Stark.”

“Frost,” Steve guessed. “And her first name?”

Bruce looked pained. “Tony asked me not to tell you that just yet.”

“We’re discussing the finer points of her DNA,” Steve said. “I might still be catching up on modern societal norms for relationships, but I’m pretty sure that’s more intimate than her first name.”

“I said that to Tony, actually,” Banner replied. He took his glasses off, squinting through them at the light over the table, and settled them back on his face with a frown. “It’s Darcy, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Darcy Lewis Frost.” It sounded like Bucky was letting the name roll around his tongue. “I like it.”

He raised both eyebrows at Steve, and Steve nodded in response. Just thinking about the girl flooded him with a need to see her again. He wondered where she was, and if all this had been as confusing, exciting, and emotionally draining for her as it had been for them. Steve could only imagine how the girl must have felt to find out she had a connection with not one, but two Alphas...let alone knowing who those Alphas were. He and Bucky were still reeling over finding her, and learning her identity. And they had each other to lean on. He hoped someone was looking after her. The thought of Darcy trying to process everything alone filled him with concern.

“Is she alright? I mean, it must have been a shock for her,” he said. 

“She’s handling it,” Bruce said. “Probably better than I would have, anyway. You know, because of the...the green…thing. Nevermind. To answer your question, she seemed fairly pragmatic about it. A little stunned, but I’d assume that’s to be expected considering who you both are. In addition, she has similar abilities to both of you when it comes to controlling her body’s response to Alphas which were compromised just like yours were when you met this afternoon. She seemed more than a little surprised by that.”

“Wait. She can do what we can do?” Bucky had picked up the StarkPad while Bruce was speaking, but he set it back down the second he heard the last part of Bruce’s sentence. “Is that how she could scent us? Most Omegas can’t….not like she could, anyway. Half the time people think we’re a pair of Betas, unless we decide to let them think otherwise.”

“Let’s just say Darcy inherited certain qualities from her mother,” Bruce said. “Although that’s not all of it.”

“Emma Frost is a mutant,” Steve broke in. “Does that mean Darcy…”

“Exactly.” Banner leaned forward, a slight hint of excitement lighting up his face. “One of the things Doctor Leisy has determined in her experiments is that most mutants carry a gene that allows them to suppress, and even control, their Alpha, or as it is in Darcy’s case, Omega instincts and behavior. I spoke to her and Emma at length about her abilities, and Darcy has full command of all her Omega aspects. They both do. Darcy is able to repress heats, conceal her scent, and doesn’t express submissive behavior when exposed to an Alpha unless she chooses to do so. She also regulates her pheromones and hormones at will, much the way both of you can. According to Dr. Leisy’s findings, this is due to her enhanced mutant genes. It’s very close to the control Asgardians seem to exhibit. Although I’ve never tested Thor to check for the gene.”

“Whoa, slow down,” Bucky said. “Where do Steve and I fall on this spectrum? I mean, we’re hardly mutants, or from Asgard, but like you said, we can do the same thing with our Alpha stuff.”

“That’s where it gets tricky.” Banner grabbed the first sheet of his notes, and passed it over to Bucky. “See, I believe it’s possible that both of you carried the recessive form of the gene. In fact, research suggests that a decent amount of the human population does. We’d have to test your DNA for confirmation, but I’d be willing to bet when you were subjected to your respective super serums, it affected that particular genome sequence, causing it to shift from recessive to dominant. The serum, in essence, altered your DNA from that of a regular human Alpha to one of a genetically enhanced human Alpha. The alleles are now more like a mutant's in that respect.”

“So what you’re saying is that we had a recessive mutant gene, and the serum somehow switched it on?” Bucky asked.

Steve watched as Bucky skimmed over the notes, forehead furrowing. When he got done, he handed them over to Steve. It didn’t take him long to read the page, and set it back down on the table.

Banner shook his head. “Not quite a mutant gene, more a gene that most mutants seem to have as dominant. As I said, the gene itself appears to be a common one for most of the population, it's just recessive in ordinary humans.” He slid the rest of his notes across the table. “You’re going to want these next.”

Steve picked them up, eyes widening when he read the first sentence. “Triumvirate gene? What’s that?”

“Now that’s where things get really interesting.” Bruce pulled the Starkpad back towards himself, and brought up another page. “It’s also the most exciting part of Dr. Leisy’s findings. She believes that there is an extremely minute amount of the population who carry what she has been referring to as the Triumvirate gene. This one doesn’t seem to be limited to mutants, but it _is_ one of the most uncommon genes in the entire human population. Those who have it are all genetically coded for two separate partners in an Alpha/Omega bond as opposed to the normal one. In short, the very rare carriers of the Triumvirate gene can complete a three way bond with two Alphas and one Omega. Even more interesting is that the Triumvirate bond can be platonic, romantic, or a mixture of the two, and those who have the gene feel incomplete without the three way bond.”

“Platonic.” Steve looked at Bucky. “So you think the reason Steve and I bonded the way we did is because of this gene?”

Banner nodded. “It's incredibly rare, but there is scientific precedent for it. Let me ask you this, how well can you and Sergeant Barnes sense each other’s moods and well-being through the platonic bond you share?”

“Very,” Bucky said. “The only time we couldn’t was when HYDRA wiped me. It’s why they kept having to wipe me, too. Stevie broke through the blocks they put in place when we were on the helicarrier, but it took a while for everything to come back. I can feel him now, though. Almost all the time. Sometimes it’s damn annoying.”

Steve snorted. “It goes two ways you know, Buck.”

“You do realize that’s far stronger than the normal way a platonic bond works, right?” Banner asked. “They aren’t unheard of. Intensely emotional events can trigger platonic bonds between people who otherwise wouldn’t bond, but the strength of these bonds is minimal compared to what you describe. According to Darcy, she shares a platonic bond of sorts with Dr. Jane Foster, which was created during the incident in Puente Antiguo, but it’s of the more common variety. The strength of the connection is heightened by Darcy’s mutant abilities. Can I ask when you two...uh…” Bruce gestured between them to indicate their bond.

“We were always close,” Steve said. “But our bond was forged around the time my mother passed away. We had no idea what it was at first, just that we could sense each other, and what the other was feeling.”

“You didn’t think it was a true bond because no biting was involved,” Banner surmised.

“Yeah. We’d never heard of a platonic bond back then. No one we knew had one, and I sure as hell wasn’t biting Steve when I still thought there might be an Omega out there for me. Who ever heard of two Alphas bonding anyway?” Bucky shook his head. “We didn’t even know if it would last, but as time passed it only got stronger.”

“It’s how I found Bucky on the HYDRA base, and why I wouldn’t accept that he had been killed when Colonel Phillips told me his battalion was lost,” Steve explained. “There were interruptions in the bond, I could feel them…”

“HYDRA had already started messing with me,” Bucky supplied.

“Right,” Steve continued. “So I knew something was wrong, but I figured that if he was dead, the connection would die as well, and I could still feel him.”

“It’s also how I knew the big, blonde lug who showed up to save me was Stevie. He didn’t look quite the same, but he _felt_ the same. I trusted that when I couldn’t trust my eyes.”

“You never told me that,” Steve said.

“You never asked,” Bucky replied with a shrug. “You think it didn’t take me a few minutes to process that skinny Steve Rogers was Captain America? The guy on the inside...he was the same. That’s how I knew you weren’t some kind of HYDRA trick.”

Steve looked at him steadily for a moment. “Never. Not me, pal. Not for a second.” Then he turned to Banner. “So, what happened earlier with Darcy is purely scientific? We just happen to share this gene, and it overrode our normal responses?”

Bucky snorted. “Still in denial, huh?” You forget I could feel your bonding impulses, Steve. They were firing up just like mine. Rare gene or not, she’s our Omega.”

Steve was about to respond when Banner cleared his throat. “Actually, Sergeant Barnes is right. At least, from what I understand from the current research, he is. I can’t confirm that all three have the gene without further testing, but one of the most telling signs that the three of you are Triumvirate carriers is that it only activates for the correct pairing….or threesome, as the case may be. It can’t be triggered by any other Alpha, Omega, or Beta, but the potential bondmates. If I’m right, you could have been exposed to any number of Omegas with the gene, and they wouldn’t have caused the reaction in you that Darcy did today. It’s also why you could scent her, and her you. According to all three of you, you were suppressing your pheromones at the time, but with a potential bond that strong, it doesn’t make a difference. I have a feeling Darcy is going to be a whole new ballgame for you two when it comes to your normal reaction to Omegas, and vice versa.”

“So that’s why…” Bucky sat back heavily in his seat. 

“Why what?” Bruce looked from Bucky to Steve quizzically.

“HYDRA tried to pair Bucky with an Omega, but it didn’t work out,” Steve said.

“You make it sound like it happened once,” Bucky snorted. “They paraded them in front of me every time they thawed me out. Sometimes that _was_ the reason they pulled me out of cryo. They tried Betas too...even a couple Alphas. None of them took. Not one. Even when they had me so wired on Alpha stimulants I couldn’t think straight, the urge to bond never even came up.”

“I wasn't aware of that,” Bruce said. “If any if this is too difficult for you to hear, or discuss, just let me know.”

Bucky’s shoulders twitched, and Steve could see he was trying to shake it off. “Nah. It’s in the past. That’s where it’s gonna stay. So what you’re saying is that’s why none of those other Omegas appealed to me. That it could only have been Darcy. You think she doesn’t only have the gene, but she’s also the one who’s meant for us?”

“Or we’re meant for her,” Steve added, trying to be fair.

“Right. We’re meant for her,” he corrected while rolling his eyes. “Not that it matters to me. If she wants to be in charge of us two idiots, I say let her.”

“You two really have no impulse to dominate, do you?” Banner’s eyebrows drew together thoughtfully as he asked the question. “It’s incredible.”

“Oh we have dominant impulses,” Bucky answered. “Usually we just save them for work, though I’m not saying I couldn’t feel them flare up when I spotted Darcy across the lobby. Believe me, I was counting all the flat surfaces I could bend her over just the same as any Alpha would. But when a girl like that asks you to let her run the show for a while...” The corner of his mouth tic’d up into a smirk that Steve knew all too well. “What can I say, it’s worth suppressing the urge, and just letting her have her way with you. Not to mention Stevie here was practically growling in my ear when Stark carted her off into that elevator. So, yeah, we’ve got normal dominant impulses. We’re just better at keeping them at bay...most of the time, anyway.”

“Buck,” Steve interrupted, a little uncomfortable with Bucky talking about bending Darcy over the furniture in the lobby. “I’m not sure that’s what Dr. Banner was asking.”

“No. It’s um...very...informative,” Bruce said. “As a Beta, I have a limited understanding of Alpha dynamics unless it’s from a scientific standpoint. It’s fascinating that you can both control yourselves the way you do. Same thing with Darcy. The fact that all three of you probably carry both genes is almost unprecedented. The only other potential Triumvirate bond that I know of with both genes present is the one Professor Charles Xavier shares with Erik Lehnsherr and Raven Darkholme. You uh...you might know her as...”

“Mystique?” Steve finished. “Yeah. We’ve seen the intel on her. Those three are Triumvirate bonded?”

“Well, it’s not like they’ve been tested,” Banner replied. “I’m sure Charles would be open to it, but if you want to ask Magneto or Mystique to willingly donate DNA to the cause, be my guest. I have no intention of kicking that particular hornet’s nest. The bond dynamic between the three of them certainly presents as similar enough to make an educated guess, though.”

“Do you intend to test us?” Steve asked. He sat up, folding his arms over his chest. The idea of sharing samples of his and Bucky’s DNA wasn’t something he relished.

“I was working up to that,” Bruce said. “But since you brought it up, would you be willing? It’s not strictly necessary, however it would confirm without question whether or not you would share a Triumvirate bond with Darcy. It would give me a chance to study the bond from a scientific standpoint as well. Not that I intend to publish any of the research.”

“Has Darcy agreed?” Bucky asked.

“She and her mother both gave blood samples before I came to visit you,” he told them. “Emma offered so that I could establish possible inherited traits.”

“We would want all the samples destroyed once the research is complete, and no results can be stored on any type of drive. Paper only, one copy, which will also be destroyed after the determination is made,” Steve said. “This is non-negotiable, Bruce. No aspect of my, or Bucky’s, DNA can be allowed to leave your lab. I’m sure you understand why. The results could be catastrophic if that information fell into the wrong hands. In fact, I want Darcy’s treated the same way….and her mother’s.”

“Somebody is already getting protective,” Bucky remarked under his breath. “But she’s not our Omega, right? Just a girl. Nothing special.”

“Enough, Buck. You can say ‘I told you so’ later,” Steve shot back, voice thick with Alpha warning. They both knew the tone wouldn’t work on Bucky, but it made it clear that Steve was being serious. Bucky mimed zipping his lips with a cocky expression that belied the obedience, and Steve returned his attention to Banner. “Bruce? Do we have your word on this?”

“You have my word,” he said, agreeing to the terms without a moment’s hesitation. “Believe me. I’m walking proof of why that kind of information needs to be classified or destroyed.”

“Alright then.” Steve nodded at Bucky, and they both started rolling up their sleeves. “Let’s do this.”

XXXX

About an hour after Bruce left with the samples he’d taken, Steve thought of something else he wanted to ask him. He tried reaching the scientist by phone, but typical for Dr. Banner when he was in the middle of an experiment, every call went into voicemail. Leaving Bucky alone to wait for the takeout they’d ordered, Steve headed down to the lab to see Bruce in person. 

He had just exited the elevator when he heard Dr. Foster’s voice echoing down one of the adjoining hallways. By the pauses in the conversation, it was apparent that she was on the phone. Normally Steve wouldn’t have considered eavesdropping on someone else’s private call, however then Jane said something caught his undivided attention.

“Wait … Tony was there when it happened? Oh, God, how embarrassing.”

Was she talking to Darcy? The sound of her footsteps coming closer gave Steve little choice. If he wanted to keep listening, and he couldn’t even lie to himself about the fact that he did, he would need to hide. A quick glance around at his options had him ducking into the nearest dark lab to listen undetected. Steve felt like a dick for doing it. Unfortunately, that didn’t deter him. At all.

“Yeah, I'd want to die too. He’s probably just being an overprotective dad, though. A lot of men remember what the right scent will do to them, and I’m sure that no father out there wants to witness that kind of thing directed at their little girl,” Jane said.

So she _was_ talking to Darcy then. Steve hunched up as much as he could, and crept closer to the slightly open door. 

“You mom was there too?” A lull followed the question where Steve assumed Jane must have been listening to Darcy’s response, and then she said, “Oh man, you really _do_ need a drink.”

Steve could only imagine how badly Darcy probably needed that drink. He needed one himself. Not that it would have done anything. At least Bucky could still get drunk for the both of them. He’d have to ask him to do that later.

“WADE?” Steve could hear the incredulity in Jane’s voice as she squawked into the phone. “No way, Darcy. The last time he dragged us to the Three Broomsticks, as the two of you have so charmingly dubbed it, he gave out way too many blowjobs, which ended up starting a bar-fight, and some dude almost lit my hair on fire with his eyes!” 

Wait. What? Steve felt his hands clench into fists. What guy almost lit Jane on fire? And who was this Wade person? Why was Darcy going out drinking with him? At least Steve was familiar enough with current cocktails to understand that the ‘blowjobs’ Jane was talking about meant a drink, and not the actual sexual act. At least he hoped that was the case.

Jane had reached the elevators by this point. Steve could hear her push the button for the floor she wanted, and he strained to catch any further bits of the conversation before she got on.

“Um. No. They didn’t name that place ‘Cantina de la Muerte’ for nothing.”

Cantina de la Muerte? Jane and Darcy were going for drinks _there_? Alarm bells went off like crazy in Steve’s head. He’d heard that place. It had a reputation of being downright dangerous, and was usually frequented by all sorts of unsavory characters and mutants. All his Alpha instincts started to rise up in protest, and he fought to rein them in. Bruce hadn’t been lying, when it came to Darcy, Steve and Bucky being able to control their inner Alphas was a whole different ballgame. It certainly wasn’t helpful when it came to rational behavior. What he needed right now as a clear head. Jane hadn’t agreed to go. It might not even be happening.

Then, just as the elevator doors were closing, Steve heard her sigh resignedly and say, “Okay...but wait. First you have to…”

And that was it. He groaned in frustration. The only thing he knew for sure was that it sounded like Darcy and Jane were going to the most dangerous bar in all of Manhattan with some unknown guy. To get drunk. Steve was still deciding what to do when his phone rang. He knew even before looking at the screen who it would be.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked the moment he answered the call.

“Cancel the takeout, Buck,” Steve told him. “We just made other plans.”


	4. Going Bananas Foster Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Wade makes his grand entrance, Steve and Bucky save a life, and girls rule the world...or at least Darcy does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can Annie and I thank you all again for your amazing response to this fic? Like, holy flipping cats, guys. You are wrecking us with your support. We love you. Thank you so very much!!!!!
> 
> In other news, hell yeah Deadpool. Have you seen it? Gah. So good.
> 
> **************************************************

Darcy stood in front of her closet, trying to figure out what to wear that night, as she was already planning an escape. She was sympathetic towards her dad’s shock at finding out Steve and Bucky could very well be her potential cosmic threesome bond-mates, but him banning her from the outside world was beginning to get very irritating. She was a grown ass woman. And besides, there were probably hundreds of other cosmic potential bond-mates out there. Okay, probably more like, tens of other potentials…who probably wouldn’t fill up a doorway with their downright unbelievable v-shape torso, but details! 

She was brought out of her thoughts by her phone buzzing in her back pocket. _Jane_. A sense of relief flooded through her, as she knew that talking to her bond-girl would make her feel better. 

“Sup, Foster?” 

“Darcy, what is going on with you?” 

She didn’t exactly know what to say. How did one segue into casual talk of cosmic threesomes? “Um. I mean…well…just… I mean… _wow_.” 

“Please explain, because a few hours ago I just got this like… _jolt_ , and I knew it was you, but I was in the middle of a meeting. It was this rush of a feeling that reminded me of…I don’t know how to explain it. Remember that one time we went to see The Weeknd at the Bowery Ballroom and drank all that wine and just felt like our skin was vibrating with like, sexual tension, except more hopped up, like all of that happening after downing several shots of espresso? Like that, only more so. So, I’m going to need a better descriptor than just a stuttered ‘wow’ to quantify why that happened.” 

“Well…you’re not wrong. That’s actually a pretty good description, Janey, we’re getting really good at this ‘bond girl’ thing.” 

“We are, aren’t we?” 

“Yeah, go us!” 

“Yay! But seriously, what the hell happened?” 

“Weeeellllll. I just feel like it’s not really something I can blurt out, ya know? But I’ll try. Okay, so you know how I’m not exactly all human?” 

“Of course. You’re a mutant.” 

“It’s just such a terrible word…it makes it sound like we’re orcs or something. Grey skin, pointy ears, smushed noses only a mother orc could love. Or Saruman. I’m pretty sure he liked them.”

“Not that I don’t enjoy a good Tolkien metaphor, it’s slightly off topic,” Jane interrupted. 

“Oh, sorry. Right. Anyway. Yes, I’m a mutant. And you know how we, as mutants, don’t usually give two flying fucks about our baser human instincts, we can control them.” 

“Yep…yes, of course, I know all that. How does it apply to what happened earlier?” 

“It applies because a human Alpha shouldn’t be able to recognize my scent as Omega. I naturally block all that shit. It’s as easy as closing my eyes. To them, I register as a beta. No harm, no foul. And Alphas, to me they smell just okay. Like, if I’m actually paying attention, which I usually never am, most Alphas at best, might smell like nice cologne that you buy at Walgreens. You know, a nice scent with Matthew McConaughey on the box.” 

“Like Stetson? Isn’t Tom Brady the spokesperson for that now?” 

“Fine. At best, an Alpha might remind me of a decent-smelling Tom Brady. Not exactly compelling.” 

“Yeah. That’s much better than like, catching the scent of an Alpha that just makes you want to get down on your knees and worship at a damn smell, while simultaneously rubbing it all over your body and into your skin. While you go full-out Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally”. It takes some serious self-discipline to walk by something like that with a straight face.” 

“Right. And I never actually believed any of that … until today.” 

“NO!” 

“Yes.” 

“NO!” 

“Yep. Smelled like…sexy Christmas. Dirty sexy Christmas. And sexy cookies right out of the goddamn oven. Like, if you were about to have the nastiest and most hedonistic sex of your life under a damn Christmas tree while shoving gooey chocolate chip cookies into each other’s mouths.”

“Kinky.” 

“I know. And like, right after a dude has gone out and chopped wood for your fire, if ya know what I mean, and his naked muscles are glistening with sweat that tastes like cinnamon and maybe a little cardamom, and spicy, like ginger, and you just kind of want to lick the spice off their skin…and then like...” 

“Okay yeah, explanation accepted. And we need a drink.” 

“Oh yeah, several in fact. Needless to say, my dad isn’t happy about this turn of events.” 

“Wait. _Tony_ was there when it happened? Oh, god, how embarrassing.” 

“Right?! And he just whisked me away up to the penthouse, like he sent me to my room or something, as if I were 12 years old.” 

“Oh, god. He’s just being an overprotective dad. A lot of men remember what the right scent will do to them, and I’m sure that no father out there wants to witness that kind of thing directed at their little girl.” 

“Funny. My mom was there too, and she just seemed kind of proud. Excited. She was like, be free my beautiful butterfly, go off and bang away, sweetie!” 

“Your mom was there, too?” 

“Yep.” 

“Oh man, you really do need a drink.” 

“Already on it. We’re going out with Wade tonight. To the cantina. It’s ladies and eighties on Thursday nights.” 

“WADE? No way, Darcy. The last time he dragged us to The Three Broomsticks, as the two of you have so charmingly dubbed it, he gave out way too many blowjobs, which ended up starting a bar-fight, and some dude almost lit my hair on fire with his eyes!” 

“What? No, we won’t let anything…well, _I_ won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll make sure that Wade reigns in his blowjobs tonight.” 

“Um. No. They didn't name that place ‘Cantina de la Muerte’ for nothing.”

“No no no, they just called it that to weed out the non-supes. They don’t like muggles there.” 

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” 

“What? You’re hardcore, dude. You’re dating a god. You’re an honorary supe. Come on. I can promise you some serious karaoke if you come out tonight. And if anyone freaks you out, I’ll freeze em’. No questions asked. Just give me the sign, and zap! Frozen.” 

Darcy could hear Jane sigh through the phone. “Okay. But wait, first you have to tell me, who’s the guy?” 

“Hm. That’s the weird part. It’s more like two guys.” 

“NO!”

“Yep.” 

“WHO?” 

“Can I tell you after a few blowjobs?” 

“Sure yeah, have your blowjobs, but I expect something good. And I also expect some entertaining karaoke. Like, Wade singing “How Deep is Your Love” again, while humping the stage. _That_ was some deep love. So much thrusting.” 

“ _Soooo_ much thrusting,” Darcy laughed, as her night was actually beginning to look up. “But yeah, not sure about that particular number, but I can promise you something equally entertaining.” 

XXXXX

Darcy, Jane, and Wade Wilson scored a snug corner table at the bar, not too close to the karaoke stage, so they could still hear each other talk. For a Thursday night, the place was pretty hoppin’, and Darcy felt a certain relaxation come over her. For one, it was comforting to be among individuals just like her, or rather, mutants, even though many of them were of the mercenary orientation and a bit higher up on the morally-ambiguous-scale than she was, but it was nice to be in a non-judgemental space. With nice low-lighting and great tunes. Also, hanging out with friends was desperately needed, and especially with Wade, as you could probably say anything to him, and he wouldn’t be surprised. He had shown up in his classic red jumpsuit and right off the bat, starting buying shots and pitchers for the table. He had also gone straight up to the DJ and requested one of their favorite karaoke duets. 

Darcy pulled herself together, taking a deep breath, and decided to just blurt out her news. “Okay. So my potential cosmic threesome. It’s Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.” 

Wade seemed unaffected, only leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed. But Jane’s shot glass fell out of her mouth mid-blowjob, and landed on the table with a loud clank. 

Darcy held up her hands in a shrug. “So, yay! We both had the wind knocked out of us by Avengers, Janey! We are such great bond-girls.” 

Her best friend still seemed stunned, but Darcy could see Wade cocking an eyebrow beneath his mask.

“Hey, if we’re going with a bond theme, can your ship name with Foster be Pussy Galore?” 

Darcy shook her head. “That makes no sense, Wade. Ship names gotta have parts of the people’s names in them or what they do. Like, we’d have to be DarJane. Or scienceshock...electric!telescope maybe? Okay, those are terrible. Pussy Galore it is.” 

Wade gave himself a fist bump. “I have such a talent for these things…and I feel like your ship name with your new alpha-doggies should be WinterShieldShock. It has everything. The shield, the taser...the formerly brainwashed super soldier with the world’s greatest thighlights...” 

“Hm,” Darcy tapped her finger to her mouth. “I’ll think about it. It’s a little soon for ship names. Besides, I think it could use a little work.” 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Jane had finally found her voice after the initial shock of the big reveal. “STEVE ROGERS AND BUCKY BARNES?!” 

Darcy gave her a flimsy smile. “Dad’s so proud.” 

“Just think,” Wade said. “The two guys that fucked your dad over last spring are soon going to be fucking his daughter over…and over. And over. And over. And over. And…” 

“OKAY,” Jane shouted, holding up a hand in his face. “I get it. I’m just… I mean…holy… _wow_.” 

Darcy took a healthy sip of her beer and forcefully set it down. “I know. That’s what I said.” 

Jane could only slowly shake her head with a dazed look on her face. 

Darcy gestured towards her friend. “That’s what I did!” 

“I mean…both?" Jane finally squawked out, with a small voice. 

“Yeah. I was stuck up at dad’s place for hours with Bruce and my mom…and dad kept pacing around, just kinda talking to himself, and Pepper was following him around, trying to calm him down. And I’m there in the middle of it all, like, ‘Sorry? I didn’t do this on purpose?’ And my dad is like, getting _turnt_ , breaking out the scotch and shit. Meanwhile, my mom is just sitting there smiling, like, ‘My baby’s grown and she’s got not one, but two ridiculously good-looking super soldiers lining up to take her for a ride. My legacy is _solid_.’ I needed to get outta there so bad. And really, the only good thing about giving Banner a blood sample is that I’ll probably just get drunker quicker tonight,” Darcy said, picking up her glass for a swig. 

Jane raised a brow. “You gave a blood sample? So Bruce thinks the reaction was genetic?” 

Wade shook his head. “There’s no need to go into this now, Foster. Just read the previous chapter.” 

Jane gave him a confused look. 

“Yeah,” Darcy agreed. “I really am kinda getting pretty tipsy, so I’ll give you the condensed version. Basically, I can usually control my baser instincts, and so can Steve and Bucky, apparently. But we might have this extremely rare Triumvirate gene that breaks all that to shit. Seriously, when I saw them, and could actually register what was happening, and noticed Barnes’ scruff, I was just like, ‘I want to sit on your face and give myself rugburn of the inner thighs. _Please_. For the love of everything that is holy.’ It was nuts.” 

Jane frowned. “That’s hardly relegated to Omega behavior only, Darcy. Maybe you just wanted to do that?” 

Darcy held up her hands in a shrug. “It’s possible. But I’m not exactly their biggest fans. Although, I mean, I’ve never been much of an Omega.” 

“Weeell, you do like to take care of people,” Jane said doubtfully. “You always like to cook for the guys you date.” 

Darcy pursed her lips. “Nah. I just like to cook. I have a cooking gene. I like to feed people.” 

“So you have a cooking gene _and_ a rare gene that compels you to be in a threesome with Captain America and The Winter Soldier? You’re a genetic hot mess.” 

Darcy grinned, the alcohol having its desired effect, as things didn’t seem quite so bad anymore. They almost seemed downright funny. “Says the rocket scientist who’s dating an alien prince that flies, and carries a hammer around everywhere he goes like a security blanket. You’re really going to act like this is the strangest thing you’ve ever heard?” 

Jane tilted her head. “Well, when you put it that way. So … what are you gonna do?” 

Darcy polished off the rest of her beer. “I think I might have to peace out.”

“What? You just got back! You can’t leave.” 

“I came here to get my head right and figure out what to do next, and currently that’s a big fail. I haven’t been able to think straight since I heard Steve Rogers’ voice on the very day I moved back home. This was a bad idea.” 

Wade shook his head. “But it’s already been figured out what you’re supposed to do next, kitty-cat. You’re supposed to do _them_ next. You know,” he said, inclining his head and crossing his legs. “Sometimes these kinds of connections, if you let them turn into bonds, can be a lot like Led Zeppelin.” 

Darcy’s brow furrowed. “Led Zeppelin?” 

“Yes! Led Zeppelin. They were four guys who didn’t work as well as solo artists, or in bands with other people. They only had that magic together. And not one could do it without the other. They tried … and failed. Nope. Only together. The stars aligned and _bam_! Magic. The music they made can make you spontaneously orgasm. Can bring you to different planes of existence. If on the right drugs, anyway. How many bands out there can say that? When they were together, it was magic. It was voodoo. _You_ could have that voodoo, kitty-cat.” 

Darcy blinked at her friend. “Wow, Wade. Um … I don’t know what to say.” Every once in awhile, he really had a moment, though they never tended to last long. 

“So,” he whispered, leaning forward. “How do you feel about double penetration?” 

And there the moment went. 

Darcy was drunk enough that the question didn’t phase her. “I mean...I’m not opposed to it. Maybe after some thorough research, or possibly lots of excellent and convincing foreplay.” 

“Just read fan fiction. Or ask Xavier,” he suggested. 

Darcy opened her mouth in shock. “I am _not_ asking the professor for advice on how to take two cocks.” 

Deadpool nodded. “Yeah. Erik would probably be better.” 

“Totally. Actually, I think I might give one of them a call. Bruce thinks that Xavier, Erik, and Raven have the same kind of deal that I have with the super soldiers.” 

Jane frowned. “But they’re not together anymore.” 

“I know. And sad as it is, because that’s a lot of sexy going to waste, it’s actually pretty damn comforting. It makes me think that when it’s all said and done, we might be uber-attracted to each other, it might seem involuntary right now, but ultimately, it’ll come down to a choice. The choice of two cocks. Or none at all.” 

“Or,” Wade pointed to his crotch. “Mine.” 

Darcy scrunched up her features. “We would never completely satisfy each other, Wade. We’re both Omegas.” 

“Pssh. We’re mutants. None of that shit matters to us. And anyway, you can get morphing Alpha-dildos at the Hustler store down the street, if you wanna get nasty. We can pick one up on the way home. They’re great. We should totally try it. Why have we never had sex? Remind me?” 

“Because you think I’m ugly,” Darcy said, rolling her eyes, and tapping the beauty mark on her cheek.

“Ohhh, right. _That_ thing. God. It’s hideous.” 

_“Lewis and Wilson!”_ The DJ called them for their karaoke duet.

Darcy stood up and took her leather jacket off, revealing the bustier she was wearing underneath. “I’ll show you hideous,” she said, as she turned and strutted up to the stage, while their song’s intro started playing. 

“You’re desperately seeking a sexing with that Madonna get-up, kitty-cat. We might have to stop by the Hustler store after all. I’ll even let you wear my mask tonight to hide your disfigurement,” Wade called after her. 

The DJ handed Darcy a microphone and she started with her part of their song, “Obsession” by Animotion. It had always been her and Wade’s favorite creeptastic 80’s one-hit-wonder. She threw her shoulders back and shook her hips to the beat, locking eyes with him, as he still sat at the table with Jane. 

_“You are an obsession, I cannot sleep … I am your possession, unopened at your feet. There's no balance ... no equality. Be still, I will not accept defeat.”_

One could almost see Wade’s smile underneath his mask as he slid out of his chair and slowly slinked his way to the stage. He took his microphone and instantly got on his hands and knees, crawling up to Darcy, and making cat-claw motions with his hand. He stopped right in front of her, straightening up into a kneeling position, so that he was about eye-level with her navel, and sang his part.

_“I will have you. Yes, I will have you. I will find a way and I will have you. Like a butterfly. A wild butterfly. I will collect you and capture you.”_

He then jumped to his feet and he and Darcy started moving their hips in tandem, facing each other, while they sang in unison. 

_“You are an obsession, you’re my obsession. Who do you want me to be, to make you sleep with me. You are an obsession, you're my obsession. Who do you want me to be, to make you sleep with me.”_

Darcy put her hands on his chest and pushed at him, so that he got back on his knees, she then put her new Jimmy Choo boot-heel square on his chest. He gave an exaggerated groan into his microphone. Her mother had been right. Even if the whole thing was just a total act, and she and Wade were nothing more than pals, and never would be anything more than pals, there was definitely something pretty empowering about having a man bow down before you while you were wearing a pair of thousand-dollar shoes. 

Wade started hip-thrusting to the music as she sang again, with her foot on his chest. 

_“I feed you, I drink you, my day, and my night. I need you, I need you, by sun or candlelight. You protest, you want to leave. Stay. Oh, there's no alternative.”_

Wade swiveled back up to his feet, catching her ankle in one hand, and using it to wrap her leg around his waist as he sung the next part. 

_“Your face appears again. I see the beauty-mark there_ (ew). _But I see danger, stranger beware. A circumstance, In your naked dreams. Your affection is not what it seems.”_

_“You are an obsession, you’re my obsession. Who do you want me to be, to make you sleep with me. You are an obsession, you're my obsession. Who do you want me to be, to make you sleep with me.”_

As Darcy had had several shots and shared a couple pitchers of beer with her companions for the evening, she didn’t quite have her head on straight when she began to catch the scent of dirty sexy Christmas cookies. She never even stopped to wonder why it might even be there at all, but just let it fill her nose. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes, drunk on the aroma, the music, and the atmosphere, along with all the drinks themselves. 

Wade noticed that she missed her cue for her next part, and sang for her, figuring she must have had one too many blowjobs, even though she was notorious for being able to hold her alcohol. 

_“My fantasy has turned to madness, and all my goodness, has turned to badness. My need to possess you, has consumed my soul. My life is trembling, I have no control.”_

Darcy felt her skin start to subtly vibrate due to the sudden intensity of the thoroughly intoxicating scent. She instinctively bared her neck to Wade, tilting her head back, the long line of her throat open to him. She then heard a seriously loud crash and then something not unlike a record scratch. The sudden loss of the music snapped her out of the fog she was in, and she stood straight up to see what the hell had happened. 

Her eyes adjusted to see the crowd of supes below, from the blaring lights of the stage. She could have sworn she was looking at Steve Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes standing behind Jane, fists clenched, with scary-ass Alpha glares on their faces. As she squinted to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, she realized that that was _exactly_ what was happening. One of them had knocked over a chair. It would seem their luck with furniture while around her was apparently pretty terrible. Unfortunately, the chair had landed on the foot of a very tall man who was wearing sunglasses, and he wasn’t happy. In fact, it seemed as if he’d promptly flipped a table over in order to show his displeasure. He was also all up in Steve’s face, and Darcy knew that things had the potential to get very ugly, very quick. 

“Oh, look, how cute, kitty-cat, it’s your Alpha-doggies. Looks like we’re about to have some human sacrifice… _dogs and cats living together_ …mass hysteria.” 

“Shit,” Darcy muttered under her breath, while dropping her microphone and jumping off the stage. 

“You might want to reconsider your choice of watering holes, _ladies_ ,” the tall man sneered. “I think you’ve got the wrong bar. TGI Fridays is a few blocks down on the left.” He turned away from them long enough to stare down the bouncer and yell, “WHO LET THESE AVENGER FRAT BOYS IN?” 

“You got a problem with us being here, loudmouth?” Steve growled, with his nostrils flared, and jaw clenched, as if it was taking every ounce of restraint not to smash the man’s face in. “Because I’m sure it's nothing we couldn’t work out with a polite conversation outside.”

Bucky put his hand on Steve’s chest, both in an effort to calm him down, and to flash his metal prosthetic, signaling to the man that he should probably back off, or be subjected to a cybernetic fist. 

The man only laughed in their faces, escalating things further. “You may be hot shit out there while you’re playing heroes and saving the world, but you’re not so special in here, Glimmer Twins,” he snarled, as he took off his shades. 

Jane then gave Darcy her “sign”, which was basically just a tug within their bond, and she noticed that the man happened to be the very guy who had almost caught her hair on fire with his eyes, during a previous trip. It looked like this time he was primed to set _Steve's_ on fire. What was it with that guy and hair fires? Had he never experienced the smell? Well that shit wasn't happening on her watch. She'd promised Jane.

Darcy reacted without another thought. She raised a hand, which helped her to concentrate, and instantly slowed down all of the man’s necessary molecules to keep him frozen where he stood. She had no desire to get into his head and make sure, however. The situation felt like a freeze first and ask questions later kind of thing. 

“Alright, Gladiator, take it down a notch,” she said to him. “I’m not sure what these guys are doing here, but I’ll vouch for them, okay? And not because I like them or anything, but because you’re really freaking out my bond-girl over there. We don’t need a repeat of the last time, if ya know what I mean. And I don’t want to keep you frozen indefinitely, but I will, if you can’t behave. Can you behave?” She got right up in his face, stretching onto her tiptoes so she could look him in the eye. “I promise, I’ll make these guys play nice too, or we’re gonna have three permanent statues instead of just one,” she said, motioning to an extremely shocked Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. 

In the middle of her speech, Wade strolled over to them with his katanas strapped to his back. “You’ve just pissed off Pussy Galore, champ. Please say you’re not willing to behave,” he cooed, reaching behind to grab the handles. “Bea and Arthur want to come out and play.” 

Darcy turned to him with a grin. “You named your katanas after Bea Arthur?” 

“Of course! The woman could freeze a man just by raising an eyebrow, much like my girl here.” 

Steve turned his head and growled. 

Wade put up his hands. “Whoa, whoa. As in my girl who has been my totally platonic friend for years, that I have never bumped uglies with. _Jesus_ , what is it with this guy?” 

“Er, he’s a bit revved up, from seeing the uh…performance,” Bucky Barnes said, speaking for the first time. “But he’s gonna calm down now, right?” he asked, tapping Steve’s chest with his metal fingers. 

Darcy rolled her eyes and set her attention back on the frozen man. “We cool?” She sped up his molecules a little, allowing him enough range of movement to speak. 

“Yeah,” he gasped. “Just keep 'em under control.” 

Darcy shrugged and gave a lazy wave of her hand, removing her hold on him, and he skulked away into a dark corner. The music came back on and bit by bit, everyone around them stopped paying attention to their little kerfuffle. 

She turned to the two super soldiers standing before her. They were both wearing civilian clothing, snug jeans, t-shirts and trendy jackets. Darcy flashed her eyes down and saw Pumas on Steve, and Converse on Bucky. She glanced back up, refusing to be captivated by their totally hot choices in footwear. “What are you guys doing here?” she hissed. 

Steve cleared his throat, his eyes looking panicked. “We’re uh, we’re sorry about that. We didn’t exactly mean for you to see us. Well, at least not at first. I mean, not like that.” 

“Smooth, Steven. I’m sure that really made her feel better." Bucky rolled his eyes, and then turned his attention to Darcy. "Listen, we apologize for that little display. I don’t think we quite knew what to expect, which in hindsight, was a big mistake. Let us make it up to you?” he asked, with a slight grin. “Also, we haven’t been formally introduced yet, at least face to face. A fact which we were trying to remedy, badly, I'll admit. Give us a second chance?” 

Darcy gave a long sigh. “Just come over here and sit down, people are still staring.” 

“Yes, yes, join us,” Wade said, as he sat back down at the table, crossing his legs. He put his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands, looking like someone who was excited to see a show. All he was missing was the popcorn.

Everyone awkwardly sat around the table, the boys nodding at Jane, as they had already been acquainted with each other. 

“So...introductions... I'm Steve Rogers, and this is...” Steve began, ruffling a hand through his hair. 

“It’s cool, you guys,” Darcy interrupted. “I don’t think we need any formal introductions at this point, considering we’re now pretty damn familiar with each other’s pheromones, and I don't think there's anyone on the planet anymore who doesn't know who you are. Steve, Bucky, and I'm Darcy. Okay? We can be on a first name basis.” She then reached for their pitcher of beer in order to refill her glass. 

Steve nodded and turned to Deadpool. “And you’re uh, Darcy’s friend?” 

He inclined his head. “Wade. Wilson. No relation to your feathered friend though. At least, I hope not, as it would make a certain dream I had pretty kinky. But on second thought...” 

Bucky squinted his eyes, seemingly confused by Deadpool’s demeanor. 

Darcy then refilled Wade’s glass and he lifted his mask above his lips, in order to take a drink, revealing his marred skin to the super soldiers. They looked a bit taken aback, and either Wade didn’t notice, or he pretended not to. 

Darcy glared at them both, and they quickly smoothed out their features. “It’s nice to meet you, Wade,” Steve said, with sincerity, which made her relax a bit. 

“Really though,” Jane jumped in, raising a brow. “How did you guys even know we’d be here? Did you follow us from the Tower?” 

The boys both looked down, guilt plastered across their features. Darcy wanted none of it, however, as not even their aroma of dirty sexy Christmas cookies, was doing it for her at the moment. And neither was the strange feeling of complete and total comfort that she was picking up on, just by being in the same vicinity as them. She wondered if the peculiar sensation of peace, deep inside her chest, had anything to do with them being so near. Or if it was her bond with Jane, or a combination of the two. She peered back and forth between everyone at the table, and thought of how completely _at home_ she’d felt the last week. Was it from being close to so many who were dear to her? As well as the two men who had such potential to be dear to her? Darcy then shook her head, as the moment was perhaps too big for her to process at that point in time…and she was also perhaps a bit too drunk for it as well. “You know what?” She mused, looking around at everyone. “I don’t even want to know.” 

Steve gave her his classic sheepish smile. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay. That you were safe.” 

She nearly choked on the beer she was trying to sip. Yep, if there had been a moment, it was now completely gone. “You wanted to protect little ol’ me?” She asked, starting to laugh. 

“Well … er …” 

For the first time, Darcy gave the boys a smile, perhaps aided a bit by the drinking she’d been doing, but a smile none the less. “Ya know? I ain’t even mad. You two are fucking adorable. Like, _adorable_. So adorable that I’m practically swooning over here. I’m about to melt in my chair. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, for saving my ass back there. I don’t know what I would have done without you, protecting me from the big scary alien.” 

Bucky shook his head. “Alien?” 

Darcy shrugged. “I don’t know. Who cares. I don’t discriminate. Doesn’t matter,” she said, waving her drink around. “What matters is that you two heroes saved the fucking day. Saved my life from all these scary-ass mutants and supes that I can’t _at all_ handle on my own, half of which, I went to school with back in the day, and are kinda my friends. And then there’s also the fact that I hang out with Deadpool here, who I’ve seen put one bullet through seven different people at the same time, and is better with those katanas than even you are with that frisbee of yours. And by the way, he can heal from anything. And I mean, _anything._ Dude could hack off his own leg, and it would grow back. But even so, thanks guys. Totally. I was in quite the pickle back there. That you started.” 

Steve binked and attempted to form a sentence, while Darcy tried to not notice how blue his eyes were. “That was me, actually. I uh, I’m sorry. I underestimated…” 

“What? No,” Darcy interjected. “Seriously. Thank you, for saving my life. She suddenly stood up, her chair screeching behind her. “In fact, I want to do something for you boys, to show my gratitude.” She then turned and stalked over to the DJ, in order to have a chat with him. 

Jane shook her head at Steve and Bucky. “She hates white-knight shit, like what you guys just pulled. You should have talked to me first.” 

Steve gave a defeated sigh and nodded. “We should have. I realize that now. Honestly, I’d really love to just duck behind the shield and back away slowly and out the door.” 

“Oh no,” Wade said. “She really is grateful. In fact, she’s about to show you how grateful. She shows me all the time. She expresses her love through karaoke.” 

Bucky tilted his head. “So…the two of you? No?” 

Deadpool did a double-take and gestured towards the stage, which Darcy happened to be walking up to. “No way. Have you not seen that thing on her face? She’s _hideous_. I can’t be seen with that.” 

Steve frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but Jane reached over the table and put her hand on his arm, signaling him to not say a damn word. “You should have talked to me first,” she said, with big eyes, trying to will him to realize that Wade’s elevator didn’t exactly go to the top floor.

“Hey everybody!” Darcy had a microphone and was gesturing towards her friend’s table. “I just wanted to sing a little song, and give a big thanks to a couple of dudes who came all the way out tonight to protect me. They appointed themselves my personal bodyguards, and I didn’t even ask. Wasn’t that nice of them?” 

Half the crowd started to laugh, and she saw Bucky and Steve look around nervously. She was almost starting to feel sorry for them. _Almost_. 

“I know, right?” She said, grinning to the audience. “So I want to dedicate this song to my saviours. I love me some Elton John, so I’mma sing one of his songs, because Elton is great at those climactic moments. He’s great at really building up to that orgasm, which is how these guys make me feel when they walk into a room. And I’m not even kidding about that. Not even a little. So Wade, can you come up here and help me with the harmony? We’re gonna do some “Someone Saved Life Tonight.” 

“YES,” Wade yelled while standing up. “SO orgasmic.” 

Darcy smiled as she saw the shocked and yet intrigued looks on Steve and Bucky’s faces. She could also see Jane grinning and shaking her head, which made her feel better, as it meant that Jane approved.

Darcy opened her mouth and sang. So sweetly. To her boys. 

_“When I think of those east end lights, muggy nights, the curtains drawn in the little room downstairs. Prima donna lord you really should have been there, sitting like a princess perched in her electric chair. And it's one more beer, and I don't hear you … anymore. We've all gone crazy lately, my friends out there, rolling round the basement floor.”_

Wade stood behind her and sang all the “Oooooos”. 

_“And someone saved my life tonight, sugar bear,” Darcy sang, while pointing at Bucky._

_“You almost had your hooks in me, didn't you dear. You nearly had me roped and tied, altar-bound, hypnotized. Sweet freedom whispered in my ear,” she then switched to pointing at Steve. “You're a butterfly. And butterflies are free to fly. Fly away, high away, bye bye.”_

For the next chorus, she decided to switch things up a little. 

_“And someone saved my life tonight_ Bucky Barnes. _You almost had your hooks in me, didn't you dear. You nearly had me roped and tied, altar-bound, hypnotized._ Steve Rogers _whispered in my ear, you're a butterfly. And butterflies are free to fly. Fly away, high away, bye bye.”_

The crowd had started cheering, only getting louder and louder as she went on. As the song drew to a close, Wade crept up to the very edge of the stage. “Here comes the big O! We’re gonna need everyone this. Three Broomsticks, let me hear you!” he yelled. 

Darcy held up her fist at the right moment, the climax. _“SOMEONE SAVED, SOMEONE SAVED, SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT.”_

The crowd sang along, _“Someone saved, someone saved, someone saved my life tonight …”_

Darcy grinned as she saw the dazed looks on the boys’ faces. _Serves em’ right,_ she thought. 

_“Someone saved, someone saved, someone saved my life tonight.”_

As the song ended, she walked off the stage, over to the table, and picked up her jacket from the back of her chair. “It’s been real. But I’mma fly away. Bye-bye.” 

Steve and Bucky, still dazed and confused, made to stand up. Darcy held up a hand, and they froze, though not because of her. The Alphas acquiesced on their own. “Nope. Stay. I’m fine. I don’t need to be walked home like we’re in the Victorian age, or some damn thing. I’m completely over men making decisions for me today, like I’m not grown. First with my dad, grounding me to the penthouse, making me feel ashamed for something I had no control over…and then you two deciding that I can’t take care of myself, or coming to the conclusion that I’m so stupid or reckless, that I wouldn’t understand what I was getting myself into tonight. But that would actually be you, wouldn’t it? Do not follow me. Jane? You coming?” 

Jane stood up and hastily grabbed her purse. “I’m with you, bond-girl.” 

“Pussy Galore is leaving the building,” Deadpool said, walking up. “Don’t worry, kitty-cat, I’ll make sure your Alpha-doggies get home safe.” 

“Thanks, Wade. Deuces!” she said, holding up two fingers, as she walked towards the door with Jane, leaving Steve and Bucky with their mouths hanging open.“Thanks again for saving my life tonight!” she blew them a kiss, then turned and left for good.


	5. Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade makes new friends, Steve and Bucky make an attempt at apologizing, and Darcy makes them work for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!!!! So, we kinda sorta got this one done earlier than expected. In part because the lovely, and talented [miin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/miin/pseuds/miin/works) helped with some awesome beta-ing when I (lefty) was worn out from taking care of sick kiddos. Thank you so much for that, lady! <3
> 
> *************************************************

“Well,” Wade said, as the three men watched Darcy and Jane exit the building, “you two really fucked that up. Like...epically. Here...” He reached down under his seat for a moment, and Steve could see him digging around in a duffle bag. A moment later he straightened up and slapped a tin case down on the table. It was bright pink, and had a cartoon cat in a nurse’s uniform on the front with the words _Hello Kitty_ printed underneath. Wade tripped the latch on the front and flipped the lid up. He then gestured at the contents. “Burn cream on the left, band-aids on the right, and no touching the clip in the middle. I need that for later. Got a thing with a guy.”

Bucky stared down at the open first aid kit for a moment, and then started to laugh. “I don’t know about you,” he said to Steve, “but I need a fucking drink.”

“Make it a double,” Steve replied. “I’m gonna need you to drink one for me too.”

Wade turned his head, the eyes on his mask widening. “You don’t drink? Is this some kind of beauty regimen thing? Because may I say, you have a lovely complexion. Like a newborn baby’s ass. So smooth, and pink. Is that serum, or just a really good moisturizer?”

Bucky snorted, and Steve shook his head. “Serum for both, actually. I _can_ drink, but it doesn’t have any effect on me.”

“You too?” Wade asked delightedly, cocking his head. “Fucking serum, right? Fuck that shit. What about you, tall, dark, and cybernetic? Alcohol do anything for you?”

“Takes a lot, but yeah,” Bucky told him. 

“Mmhm. I see. Here's the thing, fellas, I just love a challenge,” Wade said, signalling the bartender. “Oh, _Garçon_?” He waited until the man looked up, and then continued. “Yes. Hi. My compatriots and I require a bottle of your finest paint thinner. None of that pussy shit either, I’m talking the good stuff. Oh, and set us up with some tumblers. We’re attempting total liver destruction.”

Five minutes later they were staring down the neck of a bottle of Everclear, which Wade was doling out into each cup. Steve’s eyes were practically watering from the fumes coming off the stuff, and Bucky was watching the proceedings with a slight frown.

“Some for you,” Wade was saying, splashing a large amount into Steve’s tumbler. “Some for me...some for the Sergeant there...and a little more for me, just because.” He held his glass up patiently until they lifted theirs, and then clinked them together so hard spirits sloshed over the side, spilling on the table. “Alright boys, down the hatch!”

In a move that looked long-practiced, Deadpool lifted his mask, tipped the contents of the glass into his mouth, swallowed, and banged the tumbler back down on the table. Steve tossed his back, and immediately wished he hadn’t. It felt like someone had taken a blowtorch to his throat. He ended up leaning over the table, sputtering and coughing.

“I know. Goes down like a razorwire endoscopy, right?” Wade asked, reaching around to thump Steve between the shoulder blades. “Wait until you experience the colonoscopy side of things tomorrow morning. I can promise you, it's just as enchanting. God, I love Everclear.”

Bucky was still holding his glass. Steve watched through tearing eyes as his friend gingerly set the drink back on the table without touching a drop. 

“I think I’ll pass,” he said.

“Oh, you’re no fun,” Deadpool pouted. “But anyway, more for me and Captain Coughing Fit! Yay!”

“So, about Darcy…” Steve said, clearing his throat in an effort to get his voice back in gear. “How badly do you think she hates us right now?”

“Ummmm, I’d say on a scale of bad hair day to anthrax outbreak, you guys probably fall somewhere around all girls boarding school in Juneau, Alaska. But don’t let it get to you. I’m a sucker for a good love story, so for the low, low price of seven minutes alone in a closet with Thor, I’ll tell you how to get back in kitty-cat’s good graces.”

Steve had just braved another sip of Everclear out of Bucky’s discarded glass, and started choking on it. “I’m sorry…seven minutes...with Thor?”

The corner of Bucky’s mouth started twitching like he was trying not to laugh, and he promptly got up to get a drink, saying, “I’m leaving this one up to you, Stevie-boy. You were the one who insisted we come down here, and save an Omega that I suspected needed no savin’. Which is what I told you back at the tower.”

“Let me guess,” Wade said. “He’s not a big fan of authority?”

“Only his own,” Bucky answered. “You want me to get you two something to cut that kerosene with while I’m up there?”

“How very dare you.” Wade clutched the bottle of Everclear protectively to his chest. “Don’t listen to him, baby. He doesn’t know you like I do.”

“Coke,” Steve called after him. He didn’t think it would help the blowtorch effect much, but anything was worth a try. At least he recovered from it quick.

“I can’t believe I agreed to stay and drink with you two heathens,” Wade grumbled. “It’s only because I’m doing it for my darling little kitty-cat…aaaand you’re both really pretty. _So_ pretty. Look at Barnes up there. Hate to see him leave, but love to watch him go, am I right? Hey, do you two bang? It’s okay. You can tell me. I mean, I’m all up on Thor’s johnson, and you know that.”

“No. We, uh. No.” Steve shook his head. “It’s not like that. Not that we have a problem with it.”

“Pity.” Wade shrugged. “Oh well. I’m still putting it in my magical unicorn spank bank for later. A guy can dream. And diddle his skittle. Or wait...is that a girl? The skittle thing? Because skittles are small, and round, and… Eh, whatever. You understand.”

He took another shot of the Everclear, and wiped his mouth with the back of his gloved hand. Steve eyed him curiously, wondering if he ever shut up. Bucky returned to the table then, and set his own drink down before handing Steve a bottle of Coke. 

“There you go,” he said. “Good luck. I’m not sure how much it will do.”

Just as Steve suspected, it didn’t do much. However, the upshot was that two bottles of Everclear and five cokes later he was actually feeling a slight buzz. It wouldn’t last. He could never manage anything better than slightly tipsy for a few minutes at best before his body cleaned the alcohol out of his system, but damned if Steve wasn’t going to enjoy it while it did last. Wade appeared to be feeling it too. He’d given up on his tumbler about fifteen minutes earlier, and was now drinking directly from the bottle with a curly, lime-green plastic straw that he’d produced from somewhere in his utility belt. 

He leaned back in his seat, finished the last of the Everclear with a noisy rattling slurp, and grinned at Steve and Bucky from under his pushed up mask. “You know, I’m feeling generous tonight, and for that reason I’m gonna waive my seven minutes in heaven with Thor fee, and give you some straight up advice on getting into the pants of one Darcy Lewis Frost free of charge.”

Steve and Bucky shared a glance, and Bucky lowered his glass onto the table. “We’re all ears,” he said. “Although I’m thinking more along the lines of the best way to apologize. I’m pretty sure Steve and I can figure the rest out on our own.”

Deadpool nodded. “Fair enough. Okay, boys, gather around.” The two super soldiers leaned closer, and Wade said one word like it was the answer to the riddle of the universe. “Pizza.”

“Pizza?” Steve’s brow furrowed. “That’s it?”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’?” Wade asked incredulously. “Never underestimate the power of pizza and a good groveling. God. What’s wrong with you two? Haven’t you ever had to do this before?”

“Once,” Steve said. “It was in 1943, and I don’t remember using pizza. Just the groveling. And she shot a firearm me...repeatedly. I think that helped.”

“You thought it was hot,” Bucky said.

“It _was_ hot,” Steve replied. He smiled fondly at the memory, and Deadpool cocked his head. 

“You know, I’m liking you better all the time, Red White and J. Crew,” he told Steve.

Bucky made a coughing sound that couldn’t quite disguise his snort of laughter. Steve didn’t even bother to hide his amused chuckle. The guy was weird, but funny. Like a cross between Tony and Clint, only worse, and in a skintight red suit. At least it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar ground to Steve. 

“So, the pizza?” he asked. “Any particular kind?”

“Are we talking just an apology, or an apology with benefits?” Wade questioned. “Because they are very different things, with very different answers.”

“Let’s start with just an apology,” Steve said.

“Pineapple and bacon,” he replied without a moment’s hesitation. “Anything more than that, and you’re gonna have to go mushroom, onion, olive, and anchovy.”

Bucky made a face. “She likes that?”

“No,” Wade said, shaking his head. “I do. It’s a bribe, which I’ll require if you are looking for the answer to apology with benefits.”

“We’re not,” Steve said firmly. “We just want to show that we’re sorry, not try to score.”

“Yeah. I’m sure that’s gonna be all that happens when the three of you end up alone in a room together with pizza, dirtysexychristmascookies.”

Steve got the strong impression that Wade was rolling his eyes at him and Bucky, but there was no real way to know for sure. 

“Out of curiosity,” Wade began, “I just have to ask. What does Darcy smell like to you? Because I get flowers...but personally, humping a florist shop isn’t my thing. Or it hasn’t been since the restraining order anyway.”

“Ambre Solaire,” Bucky said. 

“Amber what now?”

“Ambre Solaire,” Steve corrected. “Back in the thirties there wasn’t much in the way of sunscreen except zinc oxide. Then Ambre Solaire came out. Smelled like flowers…”

“Jasmine and roses,” Bucky clarified, and Steve nodded.

“Right, but to us, it’s more than that,” he said. “There wasn’t much respite for two poor kids from inner city Brooklyn during the summer heat. You could bust open a fire hydrant, hang out in one of the ice cream parlors until the owners kicked you out, or take the streetcar to Coney Island. We would save up our nickels for weeks just to go. Sometimes trying to find a few unoccupied square inches of beach was near to impossible, but it was everything to us. And that everything came with a very distinct scent.”

“Ambre Solaire. Steve’s mom insisted on it,” Bucky said. “Didn’t want him getting a sunburn. We weren’t the only ones, though. Lots of people wore it. All up and down the boardwalk, there it was, mingling with the cotton candy and breeze off the ocean. We had some of our best times on that stretch of beach. So if you’re asking me and Steve what Darcy smells like to us, she smells like all our best memories rolled into one. Well, except maybe that one time I made Stevie ride the Cyclone. That smelled like something else.”

“You know, Buck. I don’t know if I ever thanked you for that.” Steve groused. 

“Pretty sure we’re square on that score,” Bucky replied. “Unless you wanna start talking ziplines and trains.” 

“I’m picking up a lot of awkward subtext here,” Wade interrupted, “and as much as I love awkward subtext, I think it’s about time I got the Alpha-doggies home as promised.”

Steve stood up. “You don’t really have to walk us home.”

“What, you think I want to go back on a promise to Darcy? Did you even see what she did to that guy earlier? By the way, this is how I know she doesn’t hate either of you. If she did, you would have both ended up frozen with your hair on fire.” Wade tugged his mask down over his mouth, and smoothed it around the back of his neck, covering all visible skin. 

“That’s comforting,” Bucky said, tugging his jacket off the back of his chair, and pushing his arms into the sleeves.

“In your case it would have been quite the homage to the Fantastic Four,” Deadpool said to Steve, who just looked at him, completely confused. “Because...fire…? No? Oh come on! That one was easy.”

“Hey!” the bartender shouted, interrupting him. “This going on your tab, or little miss freeze-frame’s?”

“Actually, Cyclops is paying,” Wade yelled back. “Please give him my sincere thanks. And if he questions it, tell him I said ‘rainy doorstep in Belgium’, he’ll know what I mean. Okay!” He slapped his hands together, rubbing them briskly. “Let’s blow this shithole. I’ve got about an hour before that clip in the first aid kit needs to come out and play, and we’re what? Twenty minutes from your humble abode in Stark’s towering tribute to his penis?” 

“About the clip…” Steve began.

“Uh, Steve? I don’t think you want to ask about that. Not really. Let’s stick to topics with answers you’ll enjoy. Like how Darcy brought up double penetration before you two arrived.”

Bucky almost walked into the doorframe, and Steve had to grab him and haul him back at the last second. “She what?” he asked.

“Actually that was me,” Wade replied. “Your faces, though. Priceless.” 

“What did she say...when you uh, brought it up?” Bucky glanced over at Wade, and Steve could tell he was struggling hard to keep his tone casual.

“Ah-ah,” the other man replied, wagging his finger at them. “Naughty Alpha-doggies. That would be breaking the best friend code. I may tow the line just to the left of morally questionable...hell, I might even be a menace to society, but the best friend code is sacred. You want to know Darcy’s thoughts on a super soldier sandwich scenario? You’ll have to ask her. Maybe over pizza.”

“I’m not sure that’s something we’ll want to discuss over pizza,” Steve said. “At least not at first.”

“Right, right. Ease into it. I always think threesomes are best discussed over a good molten chocolate lava cake, myself.” Deadpool wedged himself between Steve and Bucky, and slid an arm through each of theirs. “This is so fun. Isn’t this fun? I’m delivering the nation’s oldest teenagers to their dorm. We should take a picture for instagram.”

They didn’t. In the end, the rest of the walk home turned out to be fairly uneventful. They arrived back at Stark Tower where Wade saw them off at the elevator with a kiss on each cheek through his mask and a credible salute. 

“Give my love to kitty-cat,” he said. “Remember pineapple and bacon. And for the love of God, don’t hover. She hates hovering.”

Steve was relieved that was as weird as it got. He’d had about all the strange he could take for one night, and was starting to get a throbbing around his temples, that wasn’t quite a headache, but was the closest thing to one he ever got. Stress, his SHIELD assigned therapist had called it. She said he was internalizing his tension and anxiety. Steve thought it was more than that. Sometimes the whole world felt...off. Like nothing balanced out the way it should be, and home was still more than seventy-five years away. It got better after Bucky came back. Their bond stabilized that sense of being out of time, but didn’t end it completely.

Darcy, though. Being around her was something else entirely. Even when she was telling them off earlier, Steve felt oddly at home, like everything aligned and added up. Just being near her centered him in a way he hadn’t felt in forever. Through their bond, Steve could sense that Bucky felt it too. He wondered if they had the same effect on Darcy. 

It was obvious that they had _some_ effect. Steve wasn’t crazy, he’d seen her bare her neck up on that stage while she was singing with Wade. Granted, it was to the wrong guy...but that response? It set off a longing inside Steve to make her a part of something bigger with him and Bucky that was overwhelming in its intensity.

“You’ve hardly said a word since before we got back to the building,” Bucky remarked. “Everything okay?”

Steve watched a couple more floors light up on the elevator display before answering. “I made a real hash of things tonight, Buck, and I dragged you along with me.”

“Hey…” Bucky shook his head. “You didn’t drag me. I wanted to make sure she was safe as much as you did. It was a bad call on both our parts.”

“That’s kind of you, Buck, but we both know it was mostly me.”

“Yeah, alright. It was mostly you.” Bucky grinned. “So? We’ll fix it. Tomorrow you can go over there with a pizza, and tell her how sorry we are.”

“Just me? What about you?”

“You heard Wade. The last thing she needs is the two of us hovering in her doorway with a pizza. Not only that, but we both saw what happened tonight when we walked into that bar. It’s better if you go alone. Work things out with her. Let her know we didn’t want to overwhelm her or anything, so I stayed behind.”

“You really don’t want to go?”

“Of course I want to go. But I think I’d better sit this one out.”

“If that’s what you think we should do, Buck, then that’s what we’ll do. Although, none of this matters. We know she’s in the building, but neither of us know where. If she’s living with her father… Well, let’s just say I have a feeling Tony might not be very open to letting us in.”

“Excuse me, Captain Rogers? Sergeant Barnes?” Friday’s voice broke into their conversation. “I apologize for the interruption, but I believe I have information that would be useful if you plan to visit Ms Lewis.”

“What’s that, Friday?”

“Her apartment number, Captain. She used an override code giving me permission to relay it to you.”

“She overrode a direct order from Stark?” Bucky asked.

“Yes, Sir. She did. And pardon me for saying it, but I suspect that is a good sign? Yes?”

Bucky looked at Steve. “How about that. Friday, you wouldn’t happen to know which pizza place is her favorite, would you?”

“When she is in the city, Sir, it’s Naples 45.”

“There you have it,” Bucky said. “She’s given you an opening for apology pizza. Don’t mess it up.”

XXXX

The next day saw Steve standing in front of Darcy’s door, trying to quell his nerves as he balanced the pizza in one hand so he could knock. He’d barely gotten done when sound of the locks clicking open made him take a step back. The door edged open just a bit, Darcy appearing in the small strip of space.

“Pineapple and bacon?” she asked without preamble.

Steve could feel his brows drawing together. He wondered just how much Wade had told her about their conversation the night before. “Yes.”

She nodded for a moment, and then swung the door open. “Come in.”

He followed her. The whole apartment was filled with her scent, and Steve felt like he was breathing her in with every inhale. His anxiety began to fade just from being in Darcy’s presence, even though Steve still wasn’t sure about the reception he was going to get from her. 

“You can put it on the counter,” she said, with her back still to him as she sidestepped the island that split the living room from the kitchen. “And pull up a barstool. I’m going to get us something to drink.”

He’d just gotten settled when she returned, two beers clutched in her hand. She frowned for a moment, and then said, “Where’s Barnes?”

“He thought maybe I should do this on my own,” Steve told her. 

She set the beers down next to the pizza, and folded her arms over her chest. “I see. And the reason for that was…?”

“After what happened last night when we showed up uninvited, we thought maybe you might want to start a little slower. And it was mostly my fault. I’m the one who suggested we follow you to make sure you were safe. Bucky thought you were probably fine.”

“He was right,” Darcy said. “Just so you know, I think maybe I acted a little more harshly than you deserved last night. It’s just that I _can_ take care of myself, and I don’t appreciate being treated like I can’t. I may be an Omega, but there’s nothing helpless about me. Got it?”

He swallowed. “Yes.”

“Good. I’m prepared to forgive you if you’re prepared to act like less of an asshat. Is that something you think you can do? Otherwise I don’t care if we share some kind of magic bonding gene or not, you two will be off my radar for good.”

“Yeah,” he replied quickly. “I can do that.”

“Oh thank god, because you smell really, really good, and I swear to fucking Thor that there was a seventy-nine percent chance I wasn’t going to be able to back that threat up.”

She grinned in relief, and Steve chuckled.

“Only seventy-nine percent?” he asked.

“Okay, whatever, more like ninety-seven. It’s not my fault! Fucking biology. What can you do? We were written in the stars or something, apparently. Now. Here’s what I’m thinking. You take that pizza, and I will take these beers, plus the rest of the six pack, and we go over to Barnes’ place so we can have an actual conversation while I’m not considering freezing the two of you.”

“I’m not sure I can promise you won’t want to freeze us at some point, but I’m game,” Steve said. “Is the uh...the freezing? Is that the extent of what you can do?”

Darcy turned around from where she retrieving the six pack, and stuck her tongue out at him. “Air of mystery, Steven. You gotta let me keep some secrets. Besides, if we’re going to talk about what I can do, I think Bucky should probably be present, don’t you?”

He nodded in agreement. “Sounds good.”

“Cool.” She held the container carrying the beers aloft and used it to point at the door. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Bucky looked completely shocked to find them both standing outside his door. He recovered quickly. Especially when Darcy neatly slipped past him, and headed straight for the coffee table with the beers. 

“Holy shit, it smells like the week before Christmas in here. All cookie baking, and pine garlands over the mantelpiece,” she said.

Bucky exchanged a disbelieving look with Steve as she started pulling three bottles out of the box. “I take it the apology went well?” he asked quietly.

“Better than we expected,” Steve replied. 

Darcy plucked a bottle opener out of her pocket, and soon three caps were setting on the tabletop next to the beers. Then she curled up in the corner of the sofa, and eyed them impatiently. “Well? Are you two just going to stand in the doorway with the pizza, or are we actually going to sit down together and eat it?”

That got them moving. Bucky went for plates, and Steve opened the box of pizza. He dropped carefully down into the opposite corner of the couch, making sure to give Darcy plenty of space. Bucky ended up in the chair next to the coffee table. He looked as nervous as Steve felt. It may have been the only time in his life that Steve had seen Bucky at a complete loss for what to say to the opposite sex.

Darcy was suffering no such nerves. She helped herself to a piece of pizza, and glanced at both of them as she took a bite. “So, this is weird. How badly do you both want to bite me right now? Because Steve looks like he’s considering sitting on his hands to keep from touching me, and _you_...” She pointed at Bucky. “...have apparently forgotten how to flirt.”

Bucky’s lips immediately curved up into a rueful smile. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”

“No I don’t, and you didn’t answer my question,” she replied, taking another bite of her pizza.

“We’re managing,” Steve said.

“What he means is badly,” Bucky corrected. “We’re managing _badly_. You do funny things to us, doll. It’s like nothing we ever experienced.”

“Same here,” she replied. “I’m not saying I’d let you bite me...yet...but there’s a part of me that’s all about it, and that part is pretty damn loud right now.”

“How loud?” Bucky asked. 

Apparently he was starting to recover his ability to flirt. Steve was glad. Somebody should be getting somewhere, and he was still kind of useless because of her proximity to him in the couch.

“Not loud enough to override my better judgement,” Darcy said. “You know, I brought this beer so you guys could drink it too. I’m definitely not working my way through an entire pizza and six pack on my own. Go on. Eat. Drink. Be flirty. You’ve got me in your lair. Wow me with your Alpha wiles or whatever.”

Steve laughed despite himself. “Our Alpha wiles, huh?” He picked up one of the beers and took a long sip. “Here I thought Omegas were the ones with all the wiles.”

Two slender eyebrows, like delicate wings, rose up as Darcy stared at him. “Really? Well, I guess you learn something new everyday, then. Right, dirtysexychristmas? Speaking of that, what do I smell like to you guys?”

“Old school suntan lotion,” Steve said. “The kind we used when we were kids.”

“Are you fucking serious right now? _Suntan lotion_? You get cookies, and I get Coppertone? I’ve been robbed.”

“No you haven’t,” he assured her. “We love it. It’s the best possible kind of nostalgia.”

She made a face, and Steve decided maybe it wasn’t the description she was hoping for. Fortunately, Bucky was on it. 

“What Steve’s trying to say is that you smell like our childhood. Back when everything was still innocent, and pure, and carefree,” he explained.

“I’ll take the carefree, but the other two are complete misnomers,” Darcy said. 

“Not that kind of pure,” Steve tried again. “More like simple, and easy.”

She just looked at him for a moment, amusement all over her face, and then said, “I’m gonna let you think about that for a minute, Cap, because I feel like it didn’t come out the way you hoped it would.”

“Steve? Put a piece of pizza in your mouth,” Bucky ordered. “Otherwise that hole you're digging is gonna end up dropping us all off in China.”

Darcy started giggling. She pulled one of the slices free, and handed it to him on a plate. “Here. I think Cookies is right, and I left my passport back in my apartment.” 

Steve took it, and set it in his lap. “Flowers,” he said, making a final attempt to clear things up. “You smell like flowers.”

“Yeah?” She smiled at him. “Good flowers?”

“The best flowers, doll,” Bucky told her. 

“Well you smell like the best cookies,” she replied. “And the best Christmas. Weirdly enough, you guys smell like _my_ favorite childhood memories. I wonder if that’s a triumvirate thing, or if that’s just us?”

“You think Banner’s right about the genetic stuff?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know what I think,” Darcy said. “I know you two are the only Alphas who can still scent me when I’m disguising my Omega pheromones, and that when you walked into the bar last night I completely lost my head and bared my neck to Wade. _Wade_. Ask me how strange that was. First off, he’s an Omega. Secondly, I can usually control that shit. In fact, that’s the only time I’ve gotten the urge to submit in my entire life, and it was because of you two.”

Just remembering the way she’d leaned back, eyes closed with the silky skin of her neck on display caused Steve to emit a low rumbling sound. He immediately cut it off, and looked over at Darcy with wide, apologetic eyes. “Sorry...I didn’t mean…”

“Wow. That was seriously hot,” she said. “Normally, I wouldn’t be into it at all, but _damn_.”

“Want me to growl at you too?” Bucky said, leaning forward in his spot on the chair with a grin.

Darcy looked over at him, and Steve could practically feel the heat in her gaze. After a moment she seemed to shake herself, and then gave a small laugh. “Um...maybe not until we find out more about how this triumvirate thing works. It would really suck if you guys triggered a heat cycle or something like that. I’d like to think some stuff is still under my control.”

“You can control those?” 

“Yeah,” she said to Steve. “I can control everything. What about you two?”

“Same,” Bucky said. 

“What, everything? Even…?” She waved at her lap, and arched an eyebrow at him.

“Knotting?”

Darcy winced when he said the word. “Yep. Only let’s not call it that again...ever.” 

“It doesn’t happen unless we want it to happen,” Steve told her. 

“Okay. So, say you decide to do the thing...how long does it usually last?”

“We control that too,” Bucky said.

“Well, that’s cool,” she said. “Wade was kind of wondering when he called last night.” She rolled her eyes. “He had a lot of questions. _And_ suggestions. Mostly suggestions, actually. Some scarier than others. There’s a certain Hustler shop that we are never, ever visiting for any reason. By the way, are you guys going to actually eat your pizza, or just watch me eat mine? Because I feel like I’m some sort of freak show exhibit right now. The Amazing Pizza Eating Girl.”

“No, we uh...we want to make sure there’s enough for you,” Steve replied.

“You think I’m going to eat the whole pizza by myself?” Darcy frowned for a second, and then her expression cleared. “Yes you do, because I bet the two of you can probably eat more than one, right? Give me sec.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped away on it for a second while Steve and Bucky watched. 

“What are you doing?” Bucky asked.

“I’m ordering four more pizzas and charging them to my dad,” Darcy replied. “It’s the least I can do after the little stunt he pulled yesterday in the lobby.”

Things got a lot more comfortable once the extra pizza’s arrived. The conversation moved from basic getting to know you stuff, to teasing, and then somehow onto sports. Darcy was as big a baseball fan as him and Bucky, and by the time they got around to favorite players, she was sitting right up against Steve, looking up batting averages on Bucky’s Starkpad. Bucky had pulled his chair closer, and they were all bent over the screen looking up Gil Hodges when Steve’s phone buzzed with a text. Within seconds the other two phones in the room buzzed as well. 

“It’s Bruce,” Steve said. 

Darcy looked at her phone. “Mine too. Bucky?”

He looked as well, and nodded. “Same here.”

“Should we check together?” she asked.

“Okay,” Darcy said, and it was the first time Steve had heard her sound nervous all night. “On the count of three?”

Steve began. “One.”

“Two,” Bucky continued.

Darcy took a deep breath, and smiled at them.

“Three.”


	6. It's a Date Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Magneto delivers advice, Darcy delivers pancakes, and Steve delivers on his promise to trust her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!!!! Sorry we didn't update sooner. That was all me. (Lefty) I've been a little under the weather, and it slowed me down. Anyway, we've got a big, fat chapter for you, so YAY!  
> We had some beta help from the lovely and talented [Miin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/miin/pseuds/miin/works). As always, she's amazing and her fic is amazing as well. You should definitely check it out.
> 
> *******************************************

To any normal person, it might seem as if mother and daughter were just having a nice lunch, catching up in a diner in Midtown. In all actuality, however, the pair were seated on the same side in a booth, awaiting the arrival of an unlikely comrade.

“What’s wrong sweetie?”

Darcy shrugged. “Can’t you just tell?”

Emma smirked. “Not even a little bit. Blocks are in place as they should be. Mama’s proud.”

She nodded as she cupped her hands around her coffee. “Well…when you’re about to have waffles with Magneto, you come prepared.”

Her mother gave a reassuring nod. “It’s going to be okay. Erik has been pretty reasonable these days. But seriously, what’s wrong? I can tell something else is wrong, and not because I’m a telepath, but because you’re my daughter.”

Darcy slowly shook her head. “I don’t know if I can explain it, exactly. It’s just…as soon as I looked down at my phone and saw the text from Bruce, that it said ‘positive’, my first instinct was to grab ahold of your hand. To clutch it, even. But you weren’t there. I haven’t felt like that in years...not until I met Steve and Bucky the other day. And I’ve faced Asgardian deathbots, Dark Elves, all that shit.”

She took a sip of her coffee, wishing she could spike it. “But instead, there were these two guys sitting there, two gorgeous guys who might have the potential to be my world, and I could see the joy on their faces … and I couldn’t find comfort in them. Couldn’t share it with them. I did feel it though, the strange sense of peace that comes with being around them, like I’m home. It was all amplified in that moment…and I _didn’t trust it one bit_.”

Darcy rubbed at her eyes. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m just a jaded fucking human being, or if I’m scared shitless. And neither one of those things is exactly good. I’m not what you’d call a well-adjusted person. Much less a well-adjusted mutant,” she picked up her cup of coffee to take another sip. “And fuck it, mom? Can we please make these Irish coffees?”

Emma reached into her purse without question, procuring a flask of the finest scotch, and poured a few drops into her daughter’s drink. “I think you’re just being smart, trusting your instincts,” she said, as she added a few drops to her own coffee. “And you should _always_ trust your instincts. We both know why your impulse to grab my hand is profound for you…and we both know the significance of it. It’s why we’re here right now. To get you a few answers. To put your mind at ease. You know that I would do anything to protect you. Anything for you. Anything.”

“I do know that,” Darcy said, feeling like a lost little girl, running to her mommy. “I’m sorry.”

Emma tilted her chin. “Never be sorry. Ever. None of this is your fault. Do not let your father’s melodrama make you feel like any of this is your fault. If he wants to continue to make all of this about himself, fine, let the gods continue to laugh at him.”

Darcy gave her mom a little smile. “That’s mean.”

“Maybe a little. I do realize that he’d do anything to protect you, too, but I’m a little perturbed by his reaction. It’s as if this was all somehow done to him instead of being about his daughter and _her_ life. Tony is the center of the universe. As usual.”

Darcy rolled her eyes, taking a healthy sip of spiked coffee, and set it down with a thump. “Please. He’s told me about how the two of you would ponder which direction you’d both like to make the world turn, and with you at its center. Dad has had kind of a shock, mom. I don’t think it would be quite at this level, if it had been any two other schmucks on the fucking planet. But nope, it had to be them. I mean, come on, somewhere there _is_ a god or two laughing. At all of us, not just dad.”

Emma shrugged. “Perhaps. Ugh, his reaction is just so tedious, though. Let’s change the subject from that of your father.” She took a dainty sip of coffee, her gorgeous blue eyes blinking with mischief. “So. Why not tell me about your soldiers? I’m surprised you relented so quickly…overriding security protocols and everything, in order to speak with them.”

Darcy gave a lazy wave of her hand. “Wade bribed me.”

“What in the world could Wade, of all people, bribe you with?” Her mother set the cup back in the saucer with an audible clink of china against china.

Darcy chuckled, perhaps feeling a little more relaxed at the thought of her friend. Or perhaps it was the scotch, hard to say. “You see, Wade knows when and where all the cool stuff goes down. He just naturally has his ear to the ground, feels the vibrations or something. It’s how I got to see the super-secret show that Robert Plant played in a juke-joint in New Orleans a few years ago. Anyway, he told me he’d take me to a secret groundbreaking punk show, but only if I talked to Steve and Bucky. If I made nice.”

Emma raised her perfectly-groomed brows. “So you only talked to those two poor men because Wade bribed you?”

Darcy raised a finger. “They also had pizza. Pineapple and bacon. My kryptonite. I don’t know, mom, Wade made a convincing argument on the phone after I got back from the Cantina, and I was still a little drunk, but also pretty damn mad. He’d just walked Steve and Bucky back to the tower, and said they’d meant well, that they knew they fucked up by following me. And Wade… being Wade…said that he believed in love, and that he’d make me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He knows me.”

Emma shook her head. “Never tell those boys that story.”

“Not planning on it. There’s quite a few things I probably won’t tell them.”

“You’re not off to a great start, Darcy. At least tell me something you might have liked about them?”

Darcy set down her drink, thinking for a moment, and then smiled, reverently, sincerely. “They really are nice guys, and we actually have a lot in common that can’t have much to do with genetics. Steve Rogers is very kind, also a dork, which is another form of kryptonite for me, but kind. Plus, I can tell he’s very intelligent. And there’s something else there, some kind of innocence, that’s unbelievable, given that he’s in his 90’s. It’s endearing. I don’t know, it brings out the artist in me. I want to thoroughly debauch him. The instinct is there. Which is strange, given our natures.” 

Emma gave her daughter a satisfied grin that said she was completely on board with said debauching.

“And Bucky Barnes…he’s actually pretty chill, in a way, which surprises me. I know he’s been in the shit, but with me, he seemed real. He’s the one hanging back and making sure I’m feeling okay about everything. He lets Steve do his thing…like he’s used to letting him make his own mistakes. And if I let myself think about that for too long, it might break my heart a little. He’s also honest, and funny. And he might seem like the kind of guy who you can do just downright nasty things in bed with, and then lay there for hours and laugh about anything and everything,” Darcy mused, then quickly took another drink of her coffee. “Is it weird that I just said that to my mom? I feel like it should be weird, but it’s not. This is some damn good scotch, apparently.”

Emma leaned back. “So perhaps you’re not off to such a bad start, then. It sounds as if there’s something there.”

“Maybe.”

Before either could speak again, a familiar presence glided into the booth directly across from them, clad in a sharp fedora.

“Emma. Darcy,” Erik Lehnsherr said, with a tip of his hat.

Darcy smiled slowly. “Wow, dude. Not wearing your helmet in front of two telepaths?”

He pursed his lips, with a hint of classic Magneto cheek. “I come in peace. Good faith.”

Darcy touched her mother’s hand under the table. _“I come in peace?’ Why are men always so damn dramatic?”_

She could hear her mother mentally rolling her eyes as well. _“It makes them feel important, sweetie.”_

“Okay,” Darcy said, putting her hands on the table. “First off, this isn’t like shit we’ve talked about in the past. This has nothing to do with bridging the gap between opposing philosophies on mutants, humans, or superheros. This is a little more personal. Actually, a lot more personal.”

Erik gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, conveying that he didn’t quite believe her. “You are the daughter of a very prominent mutant, as well as Avenger. I find it hard to believe that any major issue you may face wouldn’t put you right in between those two forces, and if you believe otherwise, I’m afraid you are being very naive.”

Darcy blinked. “Well, I haven’t really thought that far ahead at this point.”

“A potentially grave mistake.”

“You don’t even know what I’m gonna say.”

Magneto sighed. “Very well. But what on Earth could the two of you need to speak with me so urgently about, upon your arrival in New York, if not your role in our kind’s fight. In our survival.”

Darcy shrugged. “I wanted to ask you about cosmic threesomes.”

Erik frowned. “Oh?”

Emma leaned forward. “Erik, it seems as though Darcy may have the potential to bond with two Alphas, with the urge to do so overriding her natural ability to rise above such instincts. Much like what you experienced. My daughter is in need of…comfort, as it’s been quite the shock for her. We’re looking for perhaps a bit of guidance.”

Magneto’s eye twitched in surprise.

“And no,” Emma said, sitting back. “I know what you’re thinking, without even being in your head. We have not contacted Charles. Or Mystique, for that matter. Only you. We’d appreciate a very blunt opinion on the situation. Not well-meant, yet vague speeches, and evasion. So I called you.”

His face relaxed and he stared at the two women for several seconds before speaking. “Who else knows about this, then?”

“A handful of people,” Emma replied. “People we trust. Us. Tony. And the two potentials, of course. Bruce Banner …”

“Bruce Banner?” Erik interrupted, looking at Darcy. “Please tell me you are not fool enough to let him peruse your DNA in some Avenger laboratory.”

“Bruce is cool,” she said. “He tested us for the triumvirate gene, and then destroyed everything.”

“You’re certain of this?”

“Yeah. We all made sure.”

“Darcy,” Erik stated, with a piercing stare. “Never, _ever_ , under any circumstances, are you to allow something like that to happen again. It could be catastrophic, even if such testing is orchestrated by a person you call a trusted and dear friend.”

Fear started to prickle at Darcy’s neck. “Um. Okay?”

“If there’s even a small chance, no matter how miniscule, of an organization getting their hands on your information, something akin to HYDRA, Trask industries, Weapon X, it could set in motion complete and utter disaster. As we all know, humans have hated mutants for many reasons, and one of those reasons is because we are not slaves to our baser human instincts. We do not, as a whole, succumb to that weakness. How might they treat a mutant who may actually possess these instincts? And not only that, but control them in such a way that makes us even stronger? You may have the potential to bask in the advantages of a bond, with much less instability, or vulnerability from various biological cycles. Humans fear that, hate it. You could become an experiment at the hands of savages, if not careful.”

She closed her eyes and nodded her head slowly. “Okay, Erik, I’ll be careful. I’m always careful.”

“Not just careful, Darcy. You must be diligent. Especially if your two potentials are mutants. Are they mutants?” he asked, inclining his head.

She clutched at her coffee cup. “Well…no. They’re um…kinda like, super soldiers.”

Erik grinned slowly and gave a low laugh. “I only know of two successful super soldiers. Well, one perhaps more successful than the other…but you mean to tell me…?”

Darcy lifted a brow. “Yep.”

“And your father? I take it he is aware of this little development?” Erik looked positively gleeful, when she nodded in response. He laughed, bared teeth, which Darcy had begun to find strangely sexy, and yet also a little scary.

‘Hey,” she warned. “That’s my dad you’re laughing about.”

Erik calmed down for a moment, giving a cough. “Emma…come now, you don’t find this the least bit funny?”

Darcy’s mom gave a tilt of the head. “Perhaps. But that’s not why we’re here.”

He took a second to collect himself, and then became quite serious again. “Darcy. All of that aside, which hopefully we can discuss later, as I’d love to know what Stark’s reaction was…even though your potentials are not mutants, I must warn you to be just as careful, as if they were.”

“Why is that?”

“Because their very DNA has been altered. Many have tried, and failed to recreate the serum that transformed Steve Rogers. It was almost as if Project Rebirth was trying to elevate humans to mutants with a series of injections. They succeeded. Only once, completely. And then Zola, that pathetic little monster, was at least somewhat successful with James Buchanan Barnes, though what his serum lacked, HYDRA made up for in extremely brutal conditioning and torturous training. Probably even surgical enhancement that goes beyond the arm. It’s astonishing, really. There are not many humans on this Earth that I can say I respect, but Barnes is one of them.”

Darcy’s mouth might have dropped open for a second. “Wow, Erik.”

He raised a brow. “Do not mistake that for a ringing endorsement of the man, but individuals forged through unimaginable pain by savages, and yet rise, destined to destroy their ‘creators’, I just may tip my hat to.” He then inclined his head. “Steven Rogers, on the other hand, gives me a stomach ache, as though I’ve just eaten several boxes of saltwater taffy in rapid succession.”

Darcy shrugged. “He actually can be pretty salty. Just ask my dad. And I’ve seen it first hand. He’s not sugar and spice and everything nice.”

Erik rolled his eyes slightly. “Of course not, when it comes to you. He has the potential to be your Alpha. He’d follow you to the ends of the Earth and back, much like he did for his friend.”

Darcy shook her head in disbelief. “How? He barely knows me. Steve and Bucky had years together, fought together, fucking died together. And now? Bam! We catch a glimpse of each other outside of Pepper’s office, and it’s like the Earth tilted on its axis. _This_ is what I’m so wary about. I feel it, I sense it, the peace, the pull to them. But I don’t trust it. It’s just… It’s too damn _easy_. Where’s all the work involved? Where’s the pining, the crushing, and the simple act of fucking dating? Where’s the tossing and turning in bed at night, wondering if, oh my god, does he like me? I already know full-well they like me. They fucking followed me, Jane, and Wade to the Cantina to make sure I was okay. I mean, where’s the chase? Where’s the fun stuff?”

Erik gave her a grin. “That has always been the best part for you, correct? The challenge? Emma, how have you often described Darcy in the past? As a ‘serial dater’?”

Darcy’s mom gave a proud grin. “Maybe a time or two.”

“Just like her mother. And her father.”

Darcy raised her finger. “That’s not fair. I tried to make things work with Ian. I did. Probably longer than I should have.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “You were in it for the challenge of it, sweetie. ‘Can I turn this rather smart and handsome boy who faced down the Dark Elves, a human I can respect, into someone I can have a normal life with? Someone I can keep pretending that I’m not one of the world’s most powerful mutants with?’ Plus, you said it yourself, dorks are your kryptonite.”

Darcy looked into her cup of coffee, knowing her mom was right. “I hate you.”

“I understand your hesitancy,” Magneto said, sincerity in his voice, compelling her to glance back up. “I understand your mistrust of anything that seems too easy. But these things are never actually easy, Darcy. Especially not these types of bonds.”

“What do you mean?”

Erik sighed, as he leaned back. “To acknowledge such a bond, or a potential bond, it requires a great deal of trust, something not many of our kind exactly has in droves. I certainly never have. The instant connection is thrilling, but it’s not a guarantee. It requires connecting on a level that not many are used to. Especially with you being a telepath. All the work that courting requires, the chase, as you describe it, it’ll be more about you deciding whether or not you wish to open yourself to them completely. Take care. Take care in deciding.”

Darcy furrowed her brow, gathering strength to ask the thing she wanted to know the most. “Do you regret it?”

“No,” he said, immediately. “Tis better to have loved and lost, and all that nonsense. Just because you don’t see your old friend, or love, as often as you once did doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it, my dear. And I have a feeling that my story with Charles and Raven is far from over.”

“So, you and the professor, and Raven, were tested? For the triumvirate gene? It’s an actual thing?”

Erik gave a wave of his hand. “You have your beast...we have ours.”

“Hank.”

He nodded.

“He destroyed all the evidence?”

“Oh yes. Because, and here is the unequivocal threat Darcy, any bond like ours, that could result in progeny, could yield something the world has never seen. More powerful than any of us could imagine. And what could say, HYDRA, or their ilk, do with that knowledge? Or that progeny?”

She put her head in her hands. “Fuck.”

“Listen,” he said, knowing she was shaken. “If this is a path you go down, you can trust the bond, Darcy, and you can trust it if you develop true feelings for them. The fact that Charles and I share no greater pleasure in this life than beating one another at chess, it’s not written into our DNA. Or the banter that I share with Mystique, all of that comes from the soul, not our genes. And you may believe that it’s too easy at first, but letting someone in…” Erik paused. “Well, it never seems to be easy, does it? Not for our kind. Not to those of us with such demons. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

Darcy looked up and nodded. “Thanks, Erik.”

He held up a finger at her response. “But I must warn you. At the beginning of this meeting, I spoke of you being pulled in two different directions. Loyalty to mutants. Loyalty to the Avengers. But even more so now. Pulled between your father and the super soldiers? I fear you could be pulled in so many directions, and who would you be loyal to? Nothing is set in stone, dearest. And the proof is sitting right across from you. I do not share certain philosophies with Charles, and the triumvirate, once bonded, does not work without the others. You cannot for instance, decide to only love one of them. It must be both, or none at all, while the three of you live.”

Tears threatened to sting at her eyes. “Ugh. Nevermind. I’m no longer hungry for waffles.” Darcy bent over and tapped her head on the table, the moment all of a sudden becoming way too much.

She then felt her mother’s hand, rubbing her back.

_“Erik has always been such a pessimist, darling. He speaks of us all being ripped apart, but there’s a much better chance of you bringing people together. We’ll need that in the coming years.”_

Darcy straightened and looked at her mom.

_“Really?”_

_“Oh yes, and the fun you could have with those two. You said it yourself, it brings out the artist in you. Go get creative, sweetie.”_

Darcy blinked in wonderment. Leave it to her mother to say something profound, and then top it off with the mention of sex, like a nice shiny red cherry…to be popped.

She sighed. “I think I’ll have those waffles, after all.”

Later, Darcy trudged into the tower armed with boxes of breakfast food from her favorite diner in New York City. It was time to grow up, stop fucking around . Someone once told her that nothing couldn’t be settled over breakfast meats, and she was inclined to believe him. She knew both of her super soldiers were at home, as Friday pretty much told her everything, and the things that Friday couldn’t tell her? Well, let’s just say that Darcy inherited certain traits from her father, plus several others, and was pretty much able to hack into anything, anytime, anywhere. Especially if the codes or passwords she needed were in the head of a person in her general vicinity. Though she always hated to resort to such methods, as she liked using her own god-given wit whenever possible.

Darcy made her way to the floor that housed Steve Rogers, knowing that Bucky Barnes would be there as well, and raised her fist to knock on his door.

“Here goes nothing…or here goes everything,” she said to herself, as the door opened.

XXXXX

She’d caught them just after a run, apparently, as Bucky and Steve both appeared freshly showered, their hair still slightly damp.

After a surprised Steve had opened his door and seen the take-out, he’d smiled, stepping back to reveal that Bucky had was in the kitchen behind him, rummaging around the fridge in an attempt to find food for lunch. They were thrilled to see the boxes in Darcy's hands and the trio was now seated at the breakfast bar, the boys piling large amounts of food onto their plates.

Darcy marveled at the sheer force with which they were inhaling food. “Guys. I’m sorry that I ran outta Bucky’s place pretty quick yesterday. I just needed a few answers.”

Steve chewed his bite of chocolate chip pancake first, and swallowed. “You needed to talk to Bruce? We spoke with him too, but we didn’t know you had.”

Darcy shook her head. “No. For all intents and purposes, Bruce is my dad’s man. They are the ‘science bros’,” she said with a grin, and two thumbs up.

She picked up a piece of toast, tearing off a chunk. “I needed to get away from dad’s world for awhile. I had questions. So, I went to a source that I knew would have answers, and would tell shit to me straight. Yep,” Darcy smiled. “Me and my mom had a light lunch with Erik Lehnsherr.”

Steve dropped his fork and growled, nostrils flared. “Magneto?”

“Steve …” Bucky warned. It was only one word, but it implied, _do not say or do anything stupid, or so help me god, I will punch you._

Darcy sighed, stood up, and began to pace. “Yes, yes, Magneto. I know, he’s terrible, except not all the time. And certainly not to me. Listen. I’mma tell you this one more time … I don’t want to keep repeating it. _I can take care of myself._ Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? Just nod if you do.”

They both dumbly nodded, and she sensed a sting inside, feeling as if she were perhaps being a little mean to them, so she made an effort to cool down.

She continued to pace, but lowered her voice. “That’s settled then. Now. A bit of a Darcy Lewis history lesson is needed, I can see.” She knew it was only fair, as she knew a lot more about the two of them, than they did of her. “So. My mother and Erik, they go way back. I’ve known him since … well, since I have memories. Same with Professor Xavier, and others. And I realize this is the understatement of the year, but they all had major problems with each other, at many points in time, while I was growing up, but at the end of the day, we’re alike. I might be very secretive about being a mutant, but they are my people, and you have to accept that, if this is going to work. I am not _only_ my father’s daughter. Also, I hang out with mercenaries. Grab waffles with Magneto. I may have even shared breakfast meats with Loki. And there’s probably a lot of other things that might surprise you about me. Shit I don’t want to get into yet. Possibly things you won’t like. I’m certainly not perfect.”

Darcy ceased her pacing, making sure they were both still with her…and there they were, watching intently. Nothing resembling disapproval on their faces. Both seemingly hopeful. And also gorgeous. Really really gorgeous. She was glad she hadn’t noticed that _before_ her little speech. It was pretty damn distracting.

“That’s good,” Bucky said, softly. “That you’re not perfect. 'Cause neither are we.” He then gave her a sad little smile, and Darcy knew that he’d meant _’cause neither am I_.

“I’m sorry, Darcy,” Steve sighed. “I know I need to temper these instincts …”

She raised her hand. “It’s cool, I realize we’re all just figuring everything out. I understand. I came here today, with an offering of breakfast foods, for lunch, as I’m a firm believer in breakfast at all hours of the day...because I wanted you to know that I’m game. I’m into it. Seeing what happens. But I need something,” she said, gesturing with her hands.

“Whaddya need?” Bucky said immediately. “Just ask. You got it.”

“Well, first of all, I think it’s only fair that I tell you what Erik confided to me, because Bruce’s knowledge only goes so far, but you can’t talk about this stuff outside of the three of us, okay? It’s not common knowledge, and there could be serious fallout if it got out.”

“Done,” Steve said, with a nod.

“Remember yesterday? When I was like, ‘well, maybe you shouldn’t try anything because I don’t exactly want to experience some random heat cycle’?”

They both nodded.

“Well. That can’t happen. Not with me anyway. Also, the three of us would never feel jealous, because our bond would be equal. And that’s something you guys should think about, honestly. You have an epic friendship… Meanwhile, I’m just this girl, and once bonded…”

“Wait right there,” Steve said, and Darcy felt a tiny and strange thrill at his demand.

“You are not ‘just this girl’, Darcy. We can both feel it, even without being bonded to you. I resisted for days, but Bucky was relentless. The three of us. It’s something…it’s _real_. There’s no random equation here.”

“Frankly, we’re a little stupid over you,” Bucky added. “More than a little. Ask me how many girls managed to do that to us in the past ninety odd years.”

“I’m not discounting what you’re saying, but I’d say maybe ten or fifteen of those years actually count as far relationships go,” Darcy replied. “Since, you know, both of you napped for most of it.”

Bucky raised his fork to her. “Touché. Still. I’m willing to bet my life that missing years spent on ice or not, you’d still be the only girl for us. Science doesn’t lie, but more than that, I’m sitting across this counter from you right now, and all I can think about is the best possible way to win you over, and make you mine.”

“Ours,” Steve interjected, and Bucky rolled his eyes.

“ _Ours_ ,” he repeated, with a sideways glance at Steve that made Darcy laugh.

“Actually, I think you’d both be _mine_ ,” she informed them, “but you know...those are the kind of semantics we can hammer out another day.”

The second Darcy said the word ‘mine’ both boys shifted in their chairs in an unconscious, simultaneous move that had them leaning closer to her. She tried to hide the smirk that was threatening to break free. Score one for the Omega.

“You feel that?” Bucky said quietly to Steve.

“Yeah.” The other man nodded. 

Darcy blinked in confusion. “Feel what?”

“Bonding urges,” Bucky replied with a grin. “You set them off when you called us yours, doll.”

“You can feel Steve’s?” She tilted her head. “Just how strong is your bond?”

“Very. Unless we’re separated by enough distance, I can sense nearly everything he’s feeling,” Steve told her. “It’s the same for Bucky.”

“What about when...you know…when you guys were split up,” Darcy said, referring to the time when Bucky was brainwashed. 

“It’s how Steve woke me up,” Bucky said. “HYDRA dampened the bond...silenced it even, but they couldn’t cut it completely. I was standing there, my mission in the forefront of my mind, and all of a sudden I could _feel_ what my target was feeling. I didn’t remember why I knew him, but it triggered something, and once that something got woken up, HYDRA couldn’t put it back to bed for long afterwards.”

“I have a platonic connection to Jane. She’s my bond-girl,” Darcy replied. “It happened in New Mexico when shit went down, and got stronger in London, but it’s not quite like what you have. I think maybe part of it has to do with me, too.”

Steve reached for one of the takeout boxes, stacking a few more pancakes on his plate. “You think it’s because of the mutant genes?”

“Yes. No. Well…not exactly.” Darcy slid the styrofoam cup half-full of maple syrup over to him as she gathered her thoughts. “There’s a thing. A thing I need to tell you. And I’m not sure how you’ll react. Especially you,” she said, turning to Bucky. “Which is why I’m a little nervous about it.”

“Afraid you’re gonna scare me off? Because I don’t really see that happening. I’m a big boy, Darcy. Whatever you have to say, I can handle it.”

“I hope so,” she muttered, and then looked up brightly. “So... Here goes. Biological molecular manipulation isn't my only talent. I’m also a telepath. I can read minds, sense emotions, get into people’s heads. It’s not something I like to do, In fact, unless it's an emergency and I have no other option, I avoid using that particular power like crazy. Plus, most of the time I have to be touching the person to do it...but it’s a thing. That I can do.”

To his credit, Bucky didn’t flinch, just went very, very still. “Oh yeah? You can get inside someone’s head? Like what Wanda does?”

“Not exactly. Wanda can control people by altering their reality to a certain extent. I don’t do that. I wouldn’t even if I could. And I swear, I don’t use it without permission, or unless it’s an absolute necessity. There is no chance of me ever doing that to you if you didn’t specifically ask me. Okay?” Darcy gazed steadily at him across the counter hoping to convey that she understood his fears, and respected his feelings. “I can’t help having the ability, though. I was born with it. You could say it was a little gift from my mother, but then again, all my mutant genes are.”

Steve had been watching the whole exchange between Darcy and Bucky in silence. He had straightened up as soon as the word telepath came out of Darcy’s mouth, and moved himself slightly closer to his friend. Darcy couldn’t tell if that was to reassure Barnes, or herself, that there was no imminent threat.

“You said you have to touch someone?” he asked.

She bit her lip, and nodded yes. 

Steve glanced from Bucky back to Darcy, and then held his hand out across the table. “This enough, or do you need more of a connection?”

“I… You want me to do it right now? Here?”

His eyes didn’t waver once from where they were fixed on hers. “I trust you, Darcy.”

It wasn’t hard for Darcy to recognize his motivations for the request. This was all for Bucky, who had yet to move so much as a millimeter since she’d explained what she could do. His watchful eyes were slipping back and forth between her and Steve, and she could feel the wary tension coming off of him in waves. 

Her hand lifted hesitantly from where it had been resting in her lap to take Steve’s. He enclosed it in a warm, sure grip which sparked tingles across her palm that ran straight up her arm when they touched. It triggered an instant impulse inside her, a longing to move closer and let him wind her into the shelter of his arms. Darcy looked up to see Steve battling the same sort of desire, the deep blue of his eyes heating up as she watched.

“Sorry,” she said with a small laugh, trying to shake off the sensation and concentrate. 

He smiled at her. “Don’t be. I can feel it too. I’m good if you are. Just let me know what I should do.”

“Okay, what I need is for you to just sort of clear you mind. Pick one thought, and stick to that, otherwise I’m going to see everything that goes through your head.”

“Right,” he said, and she could see a warm color spreading out over his cheekbones. 

“Do I even want to know what thought you are shoving into a bottom drawer of your mind right now?” Darcy asked.

One side of his mouth curved up into a half-grin. “Probably not.”

That teasing little smile made it incredibly tempting to see exactly what Steve was referring to before he could get it locked away, but Darcy restrained herself. After all, this was an exercise in trust.

“Done,” he said, squeezing her hand lightly. “What now?”

“Now you’re going to feel me touching your mind. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle,” she said with a wink. Darcy gave the lightest mental push forward, feeling his consciousness ripple at the edges of hers. All the regular human blocks were in place. It would have been easy to just sweep them away, but she held back. “Feel that pressure?” she asked him. “That’s me. You’ve got some walls up here, and I could knock them down, but it would be easier if you just sort of pulled back on them.”

Steve took a deep breath, and a sense of him relaxing the blocks flowed over Darcy. “How’s that?”

“Good. Now I know on TV this where the psychic usually says something like, ‘if there’s anything you don’t want me to see, lock it behind a door,’ or some bullshit like that. I’m gonna be honest with you here. No door will keep me out if I want to get in unless you’ve had a shitload of practice blocking telepathic energy. So if you feel me getting close to something you don’t want me to see? Just let me know. I’ll back off. Not that I plan to go rummaging. For right now, we’re going to stick to a general conversation. Alright?”

“Sounds good.”

“Cool. Okay, get ready, I’m gonna do the thing.”

She pressed against his mind again, carefully invading his consciousness with her own. There was an immediate sense of warmth, and curiosity...tinged with a slight edge of apprehension. 

_”You’re nervous,”_ she sent him.

“Only a little,” he replied out loud.

Darcy laughed. _“Try it again, this time without actually talking.”_

 _”You’re beautiful,”_ Steve said. 

His voice reverberated through her like a sounding bell, and Darcy tightened her fingers around his hand. In her peripheral vision she could see Bucky starting to relax. His posture was less rigid, though he was still intently watching the proceedings. 

_”You’re kinda pretty too,”_ she responded to Steve’s compliment. _”Both of you.”_

“She says we’re pretty,” he told Bucky. 

“Does she? Did you tell her about that thing you said last night?” Bucky sat back in his seat, both eyebrows raised at Steve with a smirk on his face.

The landscape of Steve’s mind suddenly changed, his mental conversation replaced with an image of Darcy wearing nothing but a satisfied smile while sporting matching bite-marks on either side of her neck. For someone who had never actually seen her naked, Steve did a pretty decent job of picturing what she looked like. His imaginary version of her had a dreamy quality, soft light highlighting her curves with a subtle glow, and it took a minute for Darcy to realize it was a portrait that Steve was envisioning in his mind. 

Her jaw dropped. “Um...Steve? Working on a little art project in your head?”

Steve immediately stowed the mental picture, the painting giving way to what looked like a late 1940s model Chevy pickup in cobalt blue. _”I’m so sorry about that. Just...just pretend you never saw it,”_ he said to her. Then aloud he grumbled, “Thanks a lot, Buck. That was real helpful.”

Bucky folded his arms over his chest, chuckling. “Anytime, buddy. Anytime. What’s he showing you now,” he asked Darcy.

“A big blue truck,” she replied, and his chuckling turned into all out guffaws.

“Of course he would.”

“Is she yours? The truck, I mean,” Darcy inquired. “She’s gorgeous.” It was, all rounded lines, and baby moon hubcaps. Her fingers itched with the desire to pop the hood and see was under it.

“We bought it a couple months back,” Bucky answered. “Restoring it gives us something to do in our downtime.”

 _”Bucky found it on Craigslist,”_ Steve sent her. _”He loves that truck the way I love my bike, and he’s over the moon that you’re interested in it. I can tell.”_

 _”Noted.”_ She looked up at Bucky. “Have you started rebuilding the engine yet?”

“Yeah. I’ve got some ideas for what I want, but haven’t settled yet.”

“What about a Cummins? I bet my dad has one or two lying around somewhere that I could appropriate in the name of mechanical engineering.”

”You know about engines?”

Darcy could feel Steve’s surprise along with Bucky’s question, and snorted. ”Are you kidding me? My dad is Tony Stark. I could take an engine apart and put it back together when I was still in elementary school. Before the Malibu house got destroyed, he had my first pair of coveralls framed and hanging up in his workshop. I’ve got a big girl pair hanging up in my closet right now, though.”

At her words, Darcy began to see pictures flicking through her connection with Steve. He was imagining her leaning over the engine block, ratchet wrench in one hand, while wearing a pair of navy blue coveralls. With the images came a distinct sense of admiration...and...something else a whole lot more racy. Steve was _into_ the idea of her working on a classic truck. 

“Watch it,” Bucky said. “You’re gonna have Steve all over you here in a second. He can’t resist a girl in uniform. Any kind of uniform.”

“I can feel it,” she told him. Her eyes flashed Steve’s way. _”That’s hot and all, Rogers, but my coveralls are black with a pink racing stripe running down each side, so you might want to make an adjustment there.”_

She thought he might go into another bout of embarrassed, mental spring cleaning, but instead Steve just leveled a challenging gaze at her, and swapped out the blue coveralls for the ones she’d described, adding a bright crimson rag to her back pocket, and several buttons undone at the neckline. 

_”Somebody is starting to get comfortable,”_ Darcy telegraphed to him.

_”I’m not the only one, Darcy. You know this connection is going both ways, right?”_

Now it was her turn to blush, because after seeing his idea of her in coveralls, she’d inadvertently gone to a very, very dirty place in her head involving the two men and the long bench seat in the cab of the truck. Darcy quickly switched her thoughts to something more benign, but it wasn’t fast enough. She could tell by the way the air was vibrating between her in Steve with his low, Alpha rumble of appreciation.

She didn’t mean to respond, but there was no hiding the intense feeling of want that echoed in her at the sound of his growl. The flood of desire that blazed through to her then via their link was almost overwhelming, and this time Darcy did release Steve’s hand. The connection disappeared, and both of them made a sound of frustration as it went. Darcy gave a small shake of her head, trying to get her racing heart rate back down to something more like normal. 

“I’m starting to feel a little left out over here,” Bucky interrupted. 

“It’s probably better that way,” Darcy replied. “If you were both growling at me, god only knows what might happen.”

“I still haven’t done that, have I?” he asked, eyes lighting up with mischief.

Steve glanced over at him. “We have time for that while we’re getting to know each other better. Which is something we need to talk about. Right, Darcy?”

“Yeah. Definitely.” She still felt a little dazed from what had just transpired. “So, dating?” Darcy cleared her throat. “Is that something you’d like to do? See how the three of us handle things together?”

“Handle things, huh?” Bucky said suggestively. 

“Regular things. Couple things,” Darcy clarified. “Although, you know...if you play your cards right…”

“Are you asking a couple of Army guys if they know how to play their cards right?” Steve cocked an eyebrow at her. “Because I think you’ll find that we play very well, Ms. Lewis.”

“I look forward to it, then,” she said. “How about tomorrow? We can do something low key. Like...movies and junk food at my place? Then you can show me the truck?”

“Sounds good,” Bucky replied. “Steve?”

“Most people don’t know this, but I love junk food,” Steve said. “And movies. It’s a date.”

“Well then, junk food and movies it is. But for now, I think there’s still a pancake left with my name on it.”

Bucky reached across the counter, speared the last pancake on his fork, and dropped it on her plate. “It’s all yours, doll. It’s all yours.”


	7. Tres Leches Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy gets flowers, Bucky gets more than he expected, and Steve gets a beat down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We might have taken a little while to get this chapter out. In our defense...it's long? Longish? There's a decent amount of it. ;D
> 
> Also, for those of you who have been patiently waiting, the slow burn is about to ignite. This chapter is the start of aaaaaallllll the good stuff. YAY!
> 
> ****************************************************

Bucky couldn’t remember feeling so nervous over a first date in his entire life. His sense of anticipation and anxiety was only eclipsed by Steve’s, who was standing next to him in the flower shop a few blocks from the tower, deliberating over what to add to the bouquet they’d bought Darcy.

“We don’t even know what kind of flowers she likes,” Bucky said, watching as the florist laid bloom after bloom down on the counter for Steve to inspect.

Steve set the orchid he was holding down, and Bucky could feel his tension ratchet up a few notches. “What if she doesn’t like them at all?”

“Nah. All girls like flowers, right?” He glanced up at the florist, and she nodded helpfully. Of course, the woman was trying to make a sale, so he didn’t know how sincere her agreement was.

“Is this an...Omega...you are buying for?” she asked.

The two men looked at each other for a moment.

“Yeah,” Bucky said.

“First date?” the woman continued.

“How did you guess?” Steve asked.

She smiled. “I’ve been in this business a long time. Which one of you is the lucky Alpha?”

Bucky started at that. Then he realized that he and Steve had been so caught up in thinking about Darcy that they’d neglected to tone down their scent. Not wanting to explain their unusual situation to a stranger in a flower shop, Bucky dialed down his pheromones, and gestured at Steve. “He is.”

They were so in tune with each other that Steve didn’t betray even a hint of surprise at the statement. He just straightened his shoulders, and smoothly said, “Any help you could give me would be welcome. I’ve never done this before.”

“Oh honey, you have come to the right place,” the shop owner replied. “Now, if you don’t mind me getting a bit personal, some Alphas like to get their Omega flowers that remind them of their scent. It’s not always possible, but say, if your Omega smells like citrus I would suggest orange blossoms. Or perhaps they are more of a vanilla? We have some lovely bearded iris with a very delicate lemon-vanilla scent.” She waved at a large assortment of iris, that were sitting in a tall plastic bucket.

Bucky started to smile. Hadn’t Darcy asked what she smelled like to them? And idiots that they were, they hadn’t been able to explain very well. He shifted towards Steve, bumping him with his shoulder, and said, “Want to prove to her that she’s nothing like Coppertone?”

The florist’s brow furrowed. “Coppertone?”

“It’s a long story,” Steve told her. “But your suggestion is perfect. What can you do with jasmine and roses?”

“That all depends on the rose,” the woman said. “Let me bring a few out for you.”

It took twenty minutes of debate, but the two men finally left the shop with a bouquet that smelled just like Darcy...and was nearly the same size as the girl in question. The whole walk back to the building was fraught with knowing looks from the people passing by them. Especially the women. It was like the whole world could recognize the sight of an Alpha bent on wooing his Omega.

Of course it probably helped that the flowers weighed nearly as much as a small child. Bucky wasn’t sure where Darcy was going to put them. She’d need a vase as big as a house. They probably should have bought one of those too.

It also didn’t help that the entire way back they were surrounded by a cloud of what amounted to her scent. It wasn’t as powerful as actually being around her, but Bucky’s mind kept drifting off to Darcy’s smile, and the way her eyes lit up so bright when she laughed. Then it started going other places. Less innocent places. He had to make a conscious effort to shut it down more than once on that walk back to the tower. And if their link was anything to go by, Steve was having the same struggle.

“Stop thinking about fucking her,” Bucky finally said.

“I’m not…”

“You are. And so am I. Christ. I’ve never been this dizzy over a dame in my life. Neither have you, and feeling your instincts along with my own is killing me right now.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Do you think Darcy has this same problem with Foster? You know. When Thor is in town?”

Steve’s eyebrows went up. “I hadn’t thought of it. Maybe she can block it out?”

The mention of Darcy’s telepathic abilities made the back of Bucky’s neck prickle. He was trying to be accepting of that aspect of her mutant abilities. He knew he _should_ be. She couldn’t help what she could do anymore than he could help his past...but knowing she could get inside his head still triggered an edgy, unsettled feeling in him whenever he thought about it. Steve must have felt his unease, because he shifted slightly towards Bucky so their shoulders bumped.

“You know, it was good. Having her up here?” Steve said, tightening his grip on the flowers so he could tap his temple with the other hand. “It felt like she was meant to be there. She was so warm, Buck. Warm, and sweet, and a little fierce around the edges. I can’t explain how right it felt. Like a part of me I didn’t know was missing had fit into place. You don’t need to be afraid of it.” He was silent for a few seconds, and then said, “You know, I never expected I could have this, and knowing I could have it is scary for me. It’s hard for me not to want to put some distance there, just in case it doesn’t work out. Not you, though. I can feel it. Even before we officially met her you were all in. If you let this chase you off, you’ll be doing just what she was afraid you would. And Darcy told us about it because she trusted us. She could have hidden it, but she was honest about it, Buck. I think that honesty was mostly for you. She knows what you’ve been through, and she was trying to say you had nothing to fear from her.”

Logically, Bucky knew what Steve was saying made sense. He either dealt with his feelings, or walked away now...and walking away wasn’t something he was willing to do. “I know. I told her I wouldn’t let it scare me off, and I meant it.”

“Good, because this thing we can potentially have won’t work without you. Like Darcy said, it’s all three of us or nothing. I don’t even think she could hurt you like that if she wanted to. She’s our Omega.”

“All of a sudden you’re not afraid to say that, huh?” Bucky replied, as they walked back into the tower.

“Yeah well, if you’re gonna be all in, then so am I,” Steve replied. “I can’t have you walking off with our girl, now can I?”

“Neither one of us is going to be walking off with her if we’re late for this date. We’ve got five minutes to get to her place, and that damn elevator will never make it in time.”

“Stairs?” Steve asked.

“Stairs,” Bucky agreed.

 

*********************************************************************************

So far, the movie date was going pretty well. Darcy hadn’t even been overwhelmed by the flowers, just opened the door, saw the giant bouquet taking up most of the space, and laughed until she had to lean against the doorjamb for support.

“Are these all for me,” she asked between giggles, “or do you have a few other deliveries to make in the building?”

“All yours,” Steve replied, holding them out. “They uh...they looked smaller in the shop.”

She took them from him, cradling their weight in both arms. “They’re gorgeous. Jasmine and roses? Any special significance?”

“They’re you, doll,” Bucky said. “We felt like maybe we hadn’t been clear enough the other day when you asked what you smelled like to us.”

“Wait. _This_ is how I smell to you guys? Really?” Darcy buried her face in the flowers, inhaling deeply, and both Bucky and Steve smiled at her reaction. “I smell hot,” she said, looking back up at them.

“We think so,” Steve remarked.

“Oh yeah? Well you smell hot too, dirtysexychristmascookies. Come on in.”

She waved them in the door. Steve and Bucky stood on one side of the center island in Darcy’s apartment as she pulled a step stool out of a closet by the door, and climbed up on it to rummage through a high cabinet.

“I own vases like a real adult, I swear,” she said. “Somewhere.”

Steve immediately sprang into action. “Here, let me.” He cut around the center island and popped a few more cabinets open, helping her out.

This gave Bucky time to really look around. The main area was open plan, and mirrored the layout of his own apartment, only backwards. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but the bold mix of modern and eclectic somehow perfectly fit the girl currently filling a large glass vase at the sink. There were three low slung couches boxing in a cozy area near the tv. Two were white, and the third was a soft grey-blue. Except for the blue one, they looked like something Tony might have in his penthouse, but each of them was piled with brightly patterned throw pillows. She had no coffee table, instead a plush stack of square cushions served the purpose of an ottoman.

Paintings and framed photographs were hung on the walls in asymmetrical groupings, and all the flat surfaces had odd little trinkets sitting on them. They looked like they were from all over the world, and Bucky realized he was probably looking at little windows into Darcy’s life and travels before she had met him and Steve. The room was full of her personality. He could see it in every small detail

It was also full of her scent, and between that and the flowers, Bucky was starting to wonder how he would get through the movie without doing something stupid, like throwing her over his shoulder and carting her off to the bedroom...or proposing. Both seemed a little premature, and completely appealing at the same time. He wondered if she was having the same types of thoughts while she arranged the flowers in the vase, and carried on a teasing conversation with Steve.

Steve wasn’t helping. Bucky couldn’t see the thoughts running through his friend’s head, but the protective, Alpha desires were coming through their bond loud and clear. Then Steve’s fingers brushed Darcy’s as he was handing a cluster of jasmine, and she jumped like she’d been hit with an electric shock. The jasmine tumbled into the sink while the two of them stared at each other.

Steve looked away first, a rueful smile tugging up one corner of his mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“No. That was my fault. I usually have blocks in place,” she answered. “I just… You guys are sort of affecting me. I can’t believe I’ve done that twice now. Did you see…?”

“Yeah.” His smile widened into something that was far from rueful. “I saw.”

“Oh.” Hot color spread over her cheeks, and down her neck. “That’s um...hmm.”

“Maybe we’ll save that for a couple dates from now,” Steve said, and she huffed out a small laugh.

“Yeah. Shit. I’m really am sorry about that.” It was around this time that Darcy caught Bucky watching them, and her mouth dropped open in a concerned ‘O’. “God, you must have no confidence in me right now,” she said to him. “I swear that almost _never_ happens. Actually, that’s the first time since I was a little girl. It’s not normal for me to accidentally connect.”

“You just read his mind?” Bucky asked, feeling something inside his chest clench.

“What? Oh. No. I didn’t...no.” Darcy shook her head.

“Actually, I read hers,” Steve supplied.

“I projected,” she explained. “I accidentally sent him a mental image of my own...about stuff.”

“Yeah, it was _stuff_ alright,” Steve said.

Darcy rounded on him with one hand on her hip. “You know, Rogers, I haven’t ever beat a guy with the bouquet he brought me on a first date, but if you keep that up, it might just happen.”

“Oh yeah? You’re gonna take me on there, tiny? Let’s see it.” He held his arms out at his sides, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

“Did you...did you just call me _tiny_?” Darcy’s eyes narrowed, and she lifted a handful of roses off the counter.

“Would you prefer shortstuff? How about bite-size?” Steve asked. "Funny word, bite. There’s just something about it, isn’t there? I don’t know what it is. What do you think, Bucky?”

“Oh no. Don’t drag me into whatever fight is brewing here,” Bucky replied. “This is between you and Darcy.”

“Yes it is. Stand back, Barnes. I’m about to take out Captain America,” she said, advancing on him. “Right in my own kitchen. I can only imagine how this will play out on the evening news. All the sad eagle faces will be accompanying the story.”

“That’s big talk from such a small…”

Steve didn’t get any further. Darcy was on him so fast Bucky wondered if super speed was one of her mutant talents as well. She had to jump to reach, but the roses came down on Steve’s head with enough force that two of the buds were knocked clean off their stems. He tried to grab them, but he missed, and Darcy took the opportunity to rotate them in her hand so she could stab him in the gut with the stems Bucky was moderately impressed. If they had been a knife, Steve would have been on the floor.

“You are so totally going down now,” she declared, whacking him on one shoulder.

“Little help here, Buck?” Steve turned to look at him pleadingly, while holding out his hands to stave off Darcy’s attack. She was completely undaunted, and jabbed him in the thigh with the pointy ends.

“Don’t you dare,” Darcy hissed at Bucky. “I’m teaching him a lesson.”

“You heard the lady,” he said to Steve. “She’s teaching you a lesson.”

Steve ducked, hands up to defend his face now. “I’ll remember this when she decides to go after you. You know that, right?”

“I’m not gonna give her any reason to go after me,” Bucky replied.

“Do you yield?” Darcy asked, smacking him over the head again.

Steve shook his head at her with a grin. “You’re nothing but trouble.”

“Trouble with an entire vase full of ammunition,” she retorted. “Do you yield or not?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, laughing. “I know when I’m beat. Uncle, uncle.”

“Damn straight uncle,” she said, and set the demolished remains of the flowers down on the counter. “Anyway, this is not about you, Steven. This is about Bucky. Who I probably just freaked out before I was so rudely interrupted. Did I freak you out?” She nervously bit her lip, coming around the from other side of the island, so they were both standing in the living room. “Because I know the whole telepathy thing isn’t something you are excited about, and I’m sure my lack of control just then made it worse.”

Bucky met her gaze head on. “You’re worth it,” he said firmly. “I can’t say knowing someone can just get into my head if they want doesn’t bother me. It does. But Steve and I talked about it earlier, and this thing we could become? I want it. I want…” Bucky paused a moment, trying to get the words out. “I want _you_ , doll, and everything that comes with you. Is it too soon to say that?”

“No. I mean, yes? Probably? It’s probably way too soon, but I’m finding it really hard to worry about that when you guys are around. You feel right to me. This…” She gestured between them. “...feels right. So yeah, normally that would probably be way too soon, but I don’t think ‘normal’ applies here. Like I said yesterday, I’ve sort of decided to roll with things. See what happens. Not stress about telling you how I feel. It’s new territory for me too, but I think I’m ready for some new territory.”

“New territory sounds good,” Bucky agreed.

“Yeah,” she said. “It does. So. Movie? Are you guys ready? I’m done with the flowers...aside from the ones I used to school Steve.”

“We’re ready,” Steve said. “What are we watching?”

“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Darcy replied, picking up the remote and switching on the TV.

Steve’s brow furrowed. “I haven’t seen that one yet. It’s on my list. Clint recommended it.”

“Did he?” Darcy grinned, and Bucky got the impression that she knew something they didn’t. “Okay. Pull up some couch, boys.”

She waved to the remote at the blue couch facing the television. Steve sat down first, taking an end. Bucky stood there, trying to decide what to do. Should he sit next to Steve? Would she mind being stuck in the middle of both of them if he took the other end of the couch? Should he take one of the other couches instead?

Darcy took the decision out of his hands by sitting down next to Steve, and patting the space next to her. “I promise this couch won’t eat you, Bucky, and neither will I.”

The moment he eased down onto the couch beside her, it suddenly occurred to Bucky how small she was next to him and Steve. Darcy was sitting with one leg folded under her, and the other hanging down the front of the couch. Her toes didn’t even touch the thick, plush rug on the floor. Meanwhile he and Steve were taking up so much space. They dwarfed her. He was hit with a sudden, overwhelming desire to shelter and protect her. Bucky wasn’t sure from what. Possibly the two of them.

Then she stretched, shaking her hair behind her shoulders in a casual, unconscious movement. Darcy most likely had no idea the reaction it caused in him and Steve, or how they were both suddenly struggling to keep space between her and themselves. The protective feelings had morphed into a low, simmering need to touch her that was hard to ignore. Bucky took a deep breath to steady himself. In retrospect, that was probably a bad idea. Every part of him wanted to be closer to her, and to stroke any exposed inch of her skin. Bucky knew that was impossible, and highly inappropriate as well. So he tried the next best thing, resting his arm along the back of the couch in an effort to get closer.

He reached out, thinking he could complete the move in one smooth maneuver. Unfortunately Steve had the exact same idea, and had gotten there first. After a second of confusion when his arm hit someone else’s and not the couch, all Bucky could do was try to recover as subtly as possible by retrieving his arm.

Apparently, it wasn’t subtle enough, because Darcy looked back over her shoulder and then said, “So this is something we’re going to have to figure out, huh?”

“Looks like it,” Steve said, giving Bucky a triumphant glance.

Bucky was starting to feel like he’d been wrong-footed at every turn on this date so far. It was time for him to stop acting like a green kid, and show Darcy that he had something to offer other than nerves, and doubt. Plus there was nothing like a little healthy competition. Steve wanted to play it that way? Bucky was going to up the ante.

“I don’t know,” he said, slipping his arm around Darcy’s shoulders with a smirk. “I think maybe I’ve got it under control.”

He half expected Darcy to shake his arm off, but instead she just relaxed into him, shifting so her legs were tucked up against Steve.

“Works for me,” she said.

Warmth flooded through Bucky’s chest at the contact. Then Darcy rubbed her cheek against the cotton fabric of his shirt, and he could feel her taking a slow, deep breath. The warm feeling in his chest turned into a heady, buzzing sensation, and it was all he could do to not to pull her straight into his lap.

“You’re rumbling,” she said, looking up at him.

“Am I?” Bucky hadn’t even known he was doing it, but he wasn’t surprised.

“Yeah. It’s like snuggling with a really big, really happy cat. I like it. Rumble away, buddy.” She patted his chest just over his breastbone. “Just know if it starts to interfere with me hearing the movie, I reserve the right to poke you.”

“You got it, doll,” he said.

She pressed play on the remote, and the movie started, Darcy humming along with the opening theme. It wasn’t very long into the film before Bucky realized why she’d picked it.

“Hey Stevie, look...it’s your old nemesis.” He turned to Darcy. “Did you know Captain America here knocked Hitler out no less than 200 times? It’s his claim to fame. Tell her, Steve.”

She looked over at Steve, and Bucky could see she was smiling by the curve of her cheek. “Did you?”

“Well, it wasn’t really Hitler,” Steve said, rumpling his hair with one hand. “It was an actor dressed up as Hitler. And I didn’t really hit him. That was all for show.”

“Wait.” Darcy paused the movie. “Was this a USO thing?”

“Ask him about the motorcycle,” Bucky urged.

She looked back and forth between them. “What motorcycle?”

“There was this motorcycle,” Steve replied in a tone that made Bucky think Steve might just strangle him later. “I used to have to lift it over my head during shows.”

“You lifted a motorcycle over your head? Was there anyone on it?”

“There uh...there might have been a chorus girl on it.”

“Try three,” Bucky said.

“You know,” Steve said, and this time Bucky was sure he was in danger of being strangled later...or at least being knocked into a wall, “for someone who never actually _saw_ one of my USO shows, you sure do know a lot about them.”

“Is this something I can Google?” Darcy asked Bucky.

“I can do you one better,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’ve got an old newsreel clip off some historical website bookmarked. Barton found it a couple months back, and sent it to everyone.”

“Remind me to thank him for that,” Steve said acidly.

“Remind me to thank him too,” Darcy remarked gleefully while taking the phone from Bucky.

She loved the newsreel. Both he and Steve watched as she replayed it several times. Steve with a slightly red face, and Bucky reclined back in his corner of the couch, grinning.

Finally she handed the phone back to him, saying, “There isn’t a clip of him punching Hitler on that website too, is there?”

“Not that I saw,” Bucky replied. “Maybe we can Google it after the movie. I’m kind of curious if they find the grail or not now.”

“Is that a hint to put the movie back on?” She nudged him with her shoulder.

“Might be.”

Darcy nodded. “Any particular reason for that?”

“Are you asking if I have ulterior motives, doll?”

“Possibly.”

“Well then that’s my answer too. Possibly.”

Steve cleared his throat, and Darcy glanced over at him. “You want to get in on this Rogers? Because it sounds like you do.”

“Well, I just think we should be fair about this. Bucky had you for the first half of the movie…”

“So what, it’s your turn now? Is that what you’re saying?” She cocked an eyebrow at Steve.

Bucky would have been worried about her being mad, except Darcy looked anything but. In fact, the way she was currently eyeing Steve was miles away from anything resembling anger.

“Up to you,” Steve said. “All I’m saying is that if you wanted to trade off, I’m open to it.”

“That is the most diplomatic load of bullshit I’ve ever heard,” Darcy told him. “Does it usually work for you?”

Steve tilted his head. “I don’t know. Is it working on you?”

She turned to face Bucky. “He’s flirty. Did you know he was this flirty?”

“He has his moments,” Bucky said. “I don’t mind if you want to swap. Not that I don’t want you here, I do. But it’s up to you. We want you to feel comfortable with both of us, and I’m not going to be jealous.”

Darcy hesitated a moment longer, and then switched sides. Steve smiled down at her, as he slung his arm around her shoulders.

“Good?” he asked.

“Yep. Bucky is it okay if I stretch my legs out?”

Rather than answer, he simply pulled them into his lap. Darcy got herself comfortable, and he rested his hands on her calves, occasionally stroking over them with this thumbs. By the time the movie was over, he’d moved closer to the middle of the couch, and Darcy was absently tracing swirling patterns over the back of his right hand with her fingers. When Bucky glanced down at her, he saw Steve was holding her other hand.

It seemed impossible that it could feel so natural for both of them to be wrapped up in the same girl the way they were, but it did. They somehow fit together in an effortless way that Bucky never would have imagined.

Once the movie was over, they took her over to see the truck. Darcy’s whole face lit up when she saw it in the Tower’s garage.

“Is that a 1949 Chevy 3100?” she asked, rapidly moving towards the matte blue vehicle.

Within ten minutes, she had the hood up, and was leaning in over the engine block, hair pulled back in a ponytail. Bucky and Steve watched her with growing smiles as she poked around excitedly inside the truck.

“We’re definitely putting a Cummins in this,” Darcy said, straightening up, and looking around for a rag to wipe her hands off with. “And I have a couple other ideas too. As long as you guys are cool with them.”

“You want to go get your coveralls, and we’ll get changed too, and meet you back here in a few minutes?” Bucky asked her.

“Really?” The grin that broke out on her face was only made better by the smudge of oil on her chin.

Steve nodded. “Yeah, really. Go ahead. We’ll be here when you get back.”

“Awesome,” Darcy said. “I’ll get my tools too.” She promptly headed for the stairs, ponytail bobbing behind her.

Bucky leaned back against the truck, watching her go with his arms folded over his chest.

“What do you think, Buck?” Steve said, taking the spot next to him.

“I think that’s our girl right there,” he replied. “And now we need to do our damndest to convince her, because I’m not about to let her get away.”

Steve watched as she pulled open the door to the stairwell, dropping out of sight behind it, and then said, “I think so too.”

XXXXXX

Darcy was nervous over a guy. Well, over a pair of guys, actually. It was a bit novel. Being the daughter of Emma Frost and Tony Stark, she tended to _not_ get nervous over such things, as they had both taught her well. And then there were plenty of things she just plain learned on her own. Nope, the things she got nervous over were a bit different than that of other girls. Like, did she unconsciously freeze Clint Barton’s hand because he kept tapping a damn pencil during a meeting?

Did she accidentally freeze a supermodel she once passed walking down the street for a split second, so that she fell face-first onto the pavement? In the snow?

The answer was, of course, no…as she’d had a handle on her abilities for years now, but it was the type of thing that never leaves a girl. Like in the way one wonders if you have something stuck in your teeth after a dinner date, Darcy was always making sure she wasn’t unintentionally slowing down anyone’s precious molecules.

But the reason she was nervous around the boys, was that they had a certain effect on her. They’d somehow broken through, which had her constantly checking herself, and it was becoming exhausting. She had never frozen them of course, not even a little bit, as the thought of it just sounded absolutely abhorrent, given what had happened to them in the past, but somehow she’d let her guard down. Just a tiny bit. Just for a fraction of a second. Steve Rogers had gotten into her head, with a brush of his fingertips. He’d seen a fantasy. All the dirty details. And it wasn’t even her fault. Not really.

No. It was all Wade’s fault, and she absolutely blamed him for it. Darcy had just gotten off the phone with him before the boys had come over for their first official date, and he’d been yammering on and on the whole time about all sorts of strange shit. Like, what a super soldier’s refractory period might be since she would have not one, but two dudes, who could probably, in all actuality, go all night. Would she be able to walk the next day? Stand up straight? Should she be going back to yoga classes? Also, could it be possible that they’d have her so turned on, she’d become dehydrated? Would she need to replenish fluids with plenty of electrolytes? Should he buy her a year’s supply of sports drinks as a bonding gift? That sort of shit.

And then there was the wondering if Bucky’s cybernetic arm could vibrate in such a way that, well, could be potentially pleasant. Darcy had shut that one down real quick, telling Wade to have at least a little class. The scenario she’d had stuck in her head, however, was of one involving Steve and a blowjob.

Not the sexual act of a blowjob, exactly, but setting a shot glass filled with Bailey’s, Kahlua, and whipped cream, right on Steve’s lower stomach, on that flat area between his well-defined Apollo’s Belt. Those irresistible hip indentations which were the kryptonite of every red-blooded woman who loved a nice cock. It was like the gods made a sign that pointed straight to the goods, and read, _Look girls! A little bit down, a little further...there ya go. That’s where it’s at. You’re welcome._

Damn Wade and his blowjob obsession. Giving her ideas. It was all she could think about now. Her mind stuck on Steve’s naked torso, stretched out flat in front of her, while she took the shot off his stomach, glass sitting below abs so ripped they looked Photoshopped. Perhaps a tiny bit of liquor spilled on his skin, and masculine trail of hair. She could bend her head, gently suck it off, as her hands and arms would be behind her back of course, no cheating, then wrap her lips around the rim of the small glass, knocking the shot back, letting it pop out of her mouth to fall onto the floor. Finally, she could lick the remaining whipped cream from her lips, and proceed to lean back over and kiss the hell out of him, letting him taste her, the sweetness of it all tinging the whole kiss with heady flavor.

AND STEVE FUCKING ROGERS HAD SEEN THAT. Captain America. The star-spangled man with a plan. The guy who didn’t like that kind of “LANGUAGE”. He’d seen it...and _liked_ it. Really liked it, unless Darcy was missing something major in his response. She wasn't sure if she was completely mortified, or completely turned on. Maybe both. It was a weird combination of feelings overall.

Despite that, spending time with them was cool. She’d been hanging with them for over a month. They watched movies, took a picnic basket to Central Park, visited the MoMa, and worked on Bucky’s truck. 

The truck might have been Darcy's favorite part. For the most part it had been all innocent-like. Sure, she’d get it in her head that maybe she was bending over to work on the engine a little too much without them, and she’d straighten up, turn around, and then see the two boys with zoned-out and stupid looks on their faces. But how could she help it? She was working on an engine. Bending over was pretty necessary. Not her fault.

What she did feel was her fault, though, was the nagging tug in her chest, that told her Bucky still wasn’t completely chill with the fact she was a telepath. She knew she was being a little hard on herself, as being a mutant wasn’t a choice, but she’d also been avoiding bringing it up again, hoping things would just magically smooth out, but they didn’t. During their time together, she’d noticed a slight shift, and it worried her. When they’d first met, Bucky had been the guy with no qualms, the one who was all in, while Steve hung back to see where it would all go. Now it seemed as if things had been reversed. The boys had swapped positions, and she could feel herself growing closer to Steve without Bucky being fully on board, and she couldn’t have that. It was extremely subtle, but it was there, and they needed the connection to be equal if the whole cosmic threesome thing was going to work. _She_ needed the connection to be equal, in order to feel completely comfortable with bonding to both of them.

So right before her first “single” date with Steve, she decided to try and put Bucky’s mind at ease. Darcy found herself knocking on his door about an hour before she was supposed to meet his fellow super soldier, up in his apartment.

Barnes answered, looking surprised, in nothing but a wifebeater and track pants. Hair tied back. A good look. A _very_ good look.

It might have taken Darcy a minute or so to find her voice.

“Heeey there,” she eventually mumbled, eyes roaming past the small chain around his neck, hiding inside his delightfully-fitted shirt, then down to the low-slung waistband of his pants around his hips, and finally to his thighs, where the fabric was just a little, well, snug. Holy. Fuck … did he have delicious junk in his trunk.

_His eyes are up there, Lewis! Up there!_

“So!” She said, a little too loud, a smile plastered on her face, “I know we agreed that I’d be going out on an alone-date with Steve first, because of that big conference thing in Switzerland, or wherever, that he has to go to tomorrow…but I wanted to show you a thing first.”

Bucky gave her a slow grin that nearly made her freeze her own heart, to keep it from beating too loudly. “You wanna show me a thing?” He asked, while leaning against his door, as if he were James fucking Dean

“Hey, I could still be upstairs getting ready for a date, and using this hour to apply eyeliner, as it usually takes me a long time, because that cat-eye look is a lot harder than it seems. But I’m here instead, with no eyeliner on. Are you gonna let me in or not, Barnes?”

“Let you in?” He lost his grin, taking her words as a hint.

Darcy rolled her eyes. “As in your apartment. Not your mind. I’m not gonna eat your soul, Bucky. I’m not a dementor, just a mutant.”

He stepped back and she walked inside, heading straight for his kitchen table. He followed and they both sat down.

Darcy lay her hand on the table. And all the cards, so to speak. “I want to show you something, if you’ll let me.”

Bucky blinked up at her warily.

“I’m not going to get into your head, Bucky. I just want to show you the blocks. The wall. I’ve been working on it all week, meditating every morning when I wake up, and every night before I go to sleep, and now that I’ve spent some significant time with you guys, I’ve perfected it. I’ve got it. Practically impenetrable.”

“Practically?”

Darcy shrugged. “Either you trust me, or you don’t. If you don’t trust me today, maybe you will tomorrow. It’s cool.”

Bucky frowned and slowly placed his flesh hand on top of hers, and she knew it must have taken a lot of trust for him to do what seemed like a simple gesture. It made her even more determined to prove to him that she had control. That she wouldn’t just enter his mind uninvited.

They looked at each other in the eyes and nothing happened, at first. But then her fingers tightened around his, and she knew that he could feel a languid warmth tingling up his forearm.

“All you feel is that energy?”

He raised his brows, pleasantly surprised by the sensation. “Yeah.”

“Then everything is in its place. But before, with Steve, this is what it was like…and keep in mind, you don’t have to see or hear what I project, you can let go of my hand, and the connection will be severed.”

She showed Bucky the glimpses, like sunlight through trees, while driving down a winding road. Images. Flashes. She could tell that he caught a picture of something rather interesting, but it went away as soon as his mind began to register what it was. Darcy put the wall easily right back up.

His eyes widened and he gave a little grin. “What was that?”

She shook her head, blushing. “Nada.”

“Well, that’s hardly fair. Steve got to see a bonafide fantasy. I think maaaaybe I saw a pair of thighs? It’s fine though, we don’t have to keep going. If something went wrong, and you somehow got into my head, you probably wouldn’t like what you see. I certainly don’t like what I see,” he said, with a resigned slump of his shoulders, as if he knew she probably wouldn’t want anything to do with him, if she really saw what he’d been capable of.

She wasn’t having it though. “You think there’s not stuff in here that’s scary?” Darcy asked, tapping her temple. “Embarrassing? Shit I never want someone to see? It goes both ways, man.”

Bucky gave a short bitter laugh.

Darcy chewed on her lower-lip. “Alright. I’ll show you one, an embarrassing moment from when I was a wee lassie. And in return…you don’t have to do anything.”

He seemed to perk up a little. “Doesn’t exactly sound fair for you, but if that’s what you want...”

“It is. Hmm, let’s see.”

Darcy thought she was going to give him an image of her skirt tucked into her tights at her 5th grade piano recital, as she’d had to run to the bathroom right before going out on stage…but then she caught Bucky’s feelings of doubt when she’d tightened her fingers around his again.

He felt as if nothing Darcy could share would ever compare to the darkness inside of him. It was such a defeated feeling.

Her head then automatically went into a different direction, as if it were involuntary.

And there it was, a long-buried memory flashing through her mind’s eye, and his, too late to keep it from running its course. She tried to catch it at first, almost tripping, but in the end, let it go. A defining moment in one’s youth, when perspectives shift. A growing pain. An awful pain. It was 8th grade and she suddenly had the curves of a woman’s body, before many of the other girls, inherited from her mother, among other gifts. Her young hourglass figure opened her up to attention, mostly seriously unwanted, and sometimes ridicule. One boy in particular would always find a way to touch her, tease her, make her feel as if she’d invited his scrutiny, by simply existing. When she’d protest, get mad, he’d have the audacity to tell her to not get her panties in a twist. Calm down. It was the worst, most maddening kind of male condescension, at a time when a girl only begins to recognize it as a battle that was about to be fought henceforth. Being fourteen isn’t fun for any girl. Much less a _different_ sort of girl.

And then during a co-ed game of soccer for gym class, he’d caught her alone, cornered her, grinned as he was about to touch her...and she locked eyes with him, cocked a brow, and froze him where he stood. She’d had it. She’d never once asked for his attention, never once consented to his bullshit. He never gave her a choice, so she decided to give him no options for once. Make him feel a shred of how she felt in his presence. And for a tiny fraction of a second, it felt good, so good to show him. Darcy then immediately realized what she was doing and let him go, but the damage had been done. He looked at her with raw fear in his eyes and ran off, a dangerous injured animal, to lick at his wounds.

The next day at school was unbearable. Everyone was whispering about her. Everyone.

_Must be a mutant. Freak. Evil. Wrong. Other._ She’d been completely ostracized in less than 24 hours.

Her blocks became unstable under duress, as she hadn’t been learning how to handle her abilities properly, insisting on trying to be normal, going to a posh human school, but she realized just how naive she’d been. Every time a student brushed past her in the hallway, she could sense it, their fear of her. Their disgust. Sometimes even their blind hatred. It was all aimed at her, and she was the antenna, the receiver, taking it in, having no choice in the matter. They’d never even let her explain, just jumped to their conclusions. She’d made it to the end of the day, before completely breaking down. A girl could only take so many people’s scorn for so long. One of her favorite teachers ended up finding her crying while sitting on the floor in the girl’s bathroom, and offered to help her up, reaching out her hand. Darcy took it … as you were always supposed to trust your teachers, right?

It was the very last time Darcy ever unwittingly got into someone’s head.

She could see it. The woman was frightened. Horrified. She was praying for God to protect her from the demon in front of her…as it was her duty to try and calm Darcy down. To make sure she wouldn’t harm any of the poor innocent students or faculty. She thought she was being so very brave for talking down the monster masquerading as a benign young girl.

Darcy numbly walked out of the school and never returned. She then hacked into their records to make sure she never existed to them at all. Wiped every trace of herself away. Clean.

She disappeared for two days. Wandered around in a trance, replaying everything over and over in her mind, reverting back to… _no. No, not there. Not yet. Not ever._

Her father found her at the New York Public Library. It was always funny, as her mother was the telepath, could read minds, but her dad just always knew where she’d be. She was hunkered down in the kid’s section, staring off into space in a bean-bag chair. He casually sat right in front of her, like nothing was wrong...like her mom hadn’t obviously called him, wherever he had been in the world, worried sick. As if he hadn’t hopped on a plane to New York, just like that.

He set a perfectly squared box with a pink bow tied around it, in her lap. “Hey, cupcake. Your current favorite, if I recall correctly. Key lime? Made from Florida key limes and everything. Supposed to transport you straight to Key West.”

Darcy’s eyes focused on him after a second, and she registered the smile he was giving her. He always held such warmth in his expressions, even when he was being completely off his rocker, he was still there, still real, still honest. And he was human, yet still loved her, unconditionally. Wasn’t afraid of her. There was always compassion there in the crinkles of his eyes.

“I’m ready, dad,” she said, softly. “I get it now.”

“Ready for what? Dinner? How long has it been since you’ve eaten? Ready for a nap? Ready to compete in a triathlon? You gotta be a little more specific, kiddo.”

“Ready for Xavier’s.”

He gave her a knowing grin and a pat on the knee. “Good.” He reached out his hand and helped her up. “Now we gotta go, before your mom decides to melt the brains of everyone you used to go to school with.”

The memory ended abruptly when a sharp intake of breath from the man whose hand she was holding interrupted her train of thought. She looked up at Bucky in fear, and shame, trying to pull her hand free, but he held fast.

“I’m an idiot,” he said. “Darcy? Did did you hear me? The way you felt when you remembered that? I made you feel that way too, didn’t I? I’m no better than those jackasses at that school. Doll, I am so sorry.”

She shook her head. “No. It wasn’t the same. You have every right to be nervous of what I can do.”

“No I don’t,” Bucky replied firmly. “I don’t, and I’m not. Not anymore.”

He stood up and tugged on her hand, drawing her out of her seat so he could get both arms around her and pull her to his chest. Darcy only hesitated a moment, her body relaxing instinctively into the solid heat of him as he cradled her close.

“Stevie said it the other day,” he continued. “You couldn’t hurt me if you tried, could you? Not either of us. You couldn’t do it.”

“I… No. I couldn’t. I can’t even _think_ about hurting either of you. It’s like there’s a stopgap there. All I want to do is protect you, and keep you safe.”

“Same here, sweetheart.”

“It’s not very Omega of me, is it? I think you guys are supposed to be the protective ones, right? Alpha instincts and all that.”

“Fuck that. I don’t care about any of that. You want to protect me? Protect me. You want to boss me around and give me orders? Do that too. Nothing else matters to me but making you feel happy. Whatever that means, I’ll do it. Who says we have to live up to any else’s idea of what we should be, right? If everyone else jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would we do that too?”

Darcy found herself giggling, forehead still pressed into his chest. “You did not just Brooklyn Bridge me right then like some old school parenting shit. I _know_ you didn’t.”

“Think I did,” Bucky told her.

“You’d really let me boss you around?”

He crooked a finger under her chin, lifting her face so she could see him, and gave her a slow grin that filled her stomach with overactive butterflies. “Try me.”

Her heart started to flutter along with the damn butterflies. It was obvious what Bucky wanted, but he was holding back...letting her take control. Darcy looked for any sign that he was having a hard time giving her the lead, and couldn’t find a single one in the open, honest affection on his face.

Honest affection, and a hell of a lot of lust. She wasn’t sure which one was better. Truthfully, both were kinda awesome. The lust, though. Darcy was definitely a fan.

“I’m waiting for my orders, doll,” he said, the gravelly tone in his voice making her breath come short.

Darcy reached up, cupping his face in her hand, and tingles washed through her from their point of contact. “You want orders, Sergeant? Fine. Kiss me.”

She caught just a flicker of triumph in his smile before Bucky bent his head and did just that. His lips were softer than she expected, softer, and more gentler, and holy fuck he smelled good. Not to mention that he tasted sweet. Not like cookies, but still so very sweet, and Darcy licked across his full bottom lip just to get more.

He moaned then, and a current of electricity raced over her skin at the sound. It felt like a thousand, bright pinpricks that left her wanting more and more. Darcy wasn’t sure how it all happened, but one moment they were both standing, and the next she’d pushed him down into the nearest chair. Bucky landed with a soft jolt, lips slightly parted, and heavy lidded eyes watching her every move as she slid into his lap to claim his mouth again.

It was incredible that he wasn’t taking charge. Somehow he was still managing to rein in his Alpha urges, despite the fact that she could feel how hard it was for him. Bucky’s right hand was shaking slightly where it was resting on her waist, his chest was vibrating with throttled down growling, yet he _still_ let her have control. Darcy buried both hands in his hair, angling his face up while she teased over his tongue with her own.

Being with him was everything. Was this what it would be like all the time when he was her Alpha? The acute craving to just be near him, and feel his skin under her hands? Whatever it was, she wanted it. Wanted the exhilaration, and intensity, and sparks of desperation building just under the surface. She just wanted _him_ , and she wanted him right damn now.

Bucky’s growls went from muffled to all out Alpha intense when her hands slid down his chest to undo the tie closure on his track pants. He bucked up in the chair, catching her with just enough friction in exactly the right way. Darcy gasped sharply in response to the sensation it sent flooding her system. That was enough to give him pause apparently, because he pulled back, cybernetic hand catching both of hers to still them before she worked the knot free.

“Doll, you’ve gotta stop. Stevie and I don’t get jealous, but I have a feeling he’d be a little miffed if you skipped his date to take me to bed.” Bucky paused a moment, eyes traveling from her face to her neck and back again. “And if I bonded you, which is a distinct possibility if we keep this up. I’ve got a decent amount of control, but you’re sort of destroying it right now. Not that I fault you for it.”

“Shit. The date.” Darcy leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder as color flooded her cheeks. “I um...I might have forgotten that with all the um…”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Me too. Believe me. You’ve got me all worked up here.”

“Poor Steve,” she said.

Bucky snorted. “Poor Steve? He’s going to be taking you out tonight while I sit here alone. And not for nothing, doll, but after what just happened, that’s going to be a little bit harder for me to deal with than it was an hour ago.”

“I’m sorry,” she began, sitting up to look at him.

“Don’t be. I’m not. There’s no way I’d regret what just happened. I don’t...” He stopped, taking her hand in his and threading their fingers together so their palms were flush. “I don’t regret any of it. Not a second.”

“Does that not regretting include my spooky telepathic stuff too?” Darcy asked.

He squeezed her hand. “It most definitely includes your spooky telepathic stuff. You want to get in my head, Darce? Get in my head. I’m not those people who hurt you, and I never want to be.”

“I won’t just get in your head, though,” she said. “I won’t, and I wouldn’t. Not unless there was a serious life or death reason, or you specifically asked me.”

“Those sound like bridges we can cross when we get there, yeah?”

She let out a relieved breath, smiling at him. “Yeah. Soooo. This has been a pretty good talk.”

Bucky outright laughed at her summation of what had just gone down, gently lifting her out of his lap to set her on her feet. “I’ll say. My door is always open if you want to come down and have another one.”

He stood up too, muscles rippling as he rolled his shoulders. Just watching him made her throat go a little bit dry. Then her gaze dropped lower, and Darcy swallowed hard. Bucky must have caught her reaction, because he smirked in a way that said yeah, he knew just what he was packing, and now she was going to get to think about what she was missing through her entire date with his friend.

“You keep looking at me like that, and I’m gonna forget you need to be someplace else,” he said to her.

“Just for the record, I’m not usually a tease,” she replied. “I’d normally not leave you all…you know...”

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure I can handle it myself after you go.” He accompanied this remark with a cocky little lift of his eyebrows that made her want to tackle him onto the nearest flat surface.

“I bet you can.”

“Oh I can. So you just go right ahead and enjoy your date with Steve. You know. That date I won’t be on.”

Darcy grinned. “You are kind of an ass, aren’t you?”

“Kind of. I’m a lot of other things too. Go on, gorgeous, get out of here.” Bucky jerked his head at the door. “Tell Stevie I said to treat you nice.”

“I will.”

Darcy turned and started for the door. She got midway across the room before spinning around and running back to where he was standing.

“One more for the road,” she said, stretching up and pressing her lips to his in what was meant to be a quick kiss.

Bucky cupped her jaw in his hands, drawing the quick kiss out into something far more meaningful. By the end of it, both of them were breathing harder, and she could feel him smiling where his lips were still pressed to hers.

“Just so you don’t forget me while you’re out with my best friend,” he told her.

“I have a feeling I’ll be going out with both of you together pretty soon,” Darcy replied.

“Something to look forward to, then.” Bucky slid an arm around her shoulders and walked her to the door this time. “Not only that, but you and me have got our own date coming up.”

“We do.” She waited until he opened the door, and stepped out into the hallway. “I have to tell you, I sorta can’t wait now.”

“Me neither, doll. C’mere.” Bucky brushed the hair away from her face, and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. Then he lowered his voice, and said, “Gonna make you mine at some point, Darce, if you let me, and that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”

His words short-circuited her brain for a few seconds, and Darcy actually had to shake her head to clear it. She took a slow, deep breath, letting his scent wash over her. Then, pulling herself together, she gave him a saucy little salute and wink.

“See you later, Sarge. Stay out of trouble.”

“You’re going out with Steve ‘Parachutes Are Optional’ Rogers, and you’re telling me to stay out of trouble? Good luck, doll. You’re gonna need it.” With that, Bucky winked back at her, and closed the door between them. She heard a final muffled, “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” before the hallway went silent again.

Darcy walked back to her apartment, whistling. All in all, this was shaping up to be a pretty good night.


	8. Lemon Tart Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy has her date with Steve, and it goes very, very well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don't want to give too much away, but for those of you familiar with the oldschool fic terminology...  
>   
> Yep. It's getting hot in here....
> 
> **************************************************

After she left Bucky, Darcy had had to run upstairs to her apartment to splash water on her face, redo her makeup, and try to refocus her attention on the task at hand: Steve.

Poor Steve. She hadn’t meant to be kissing Bucky and nearly getting in his pants right before going out with Captain America, but the connection they shared, the potential bond, it did things to her. And she knew she shouldn’t feel guilty about it. It obviously did things to them too, but she’d wanted to concentrate on Steve for the evening. Darcy had gone to see Bucky because she was afraid of only growing further apart from him, and even closer to his friend, while on their date.

And now, she felt like things had been balanced, which was good, but she also felt as if she were walking a tightrope, and it was becoming exhausting. She was going to fall off the damn thing eventually.

Darcy tugged on her jacket, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles and then knocked on his door, which he instantly opened. And there he was, standing tall in a simple blue button-down and perfectly fitted jeans. So perfectly fitted, that it made her wonder if he had all of his clothes tailored. Steve's measurements were probably pretty off the wall, considering how the man took up a doorway. He was also giving her his classic half-grin, the one that had grown so dear to her over the past few weeks. It was strange, since she used to roll her eyes at the sight of him, or that smile, when she saw it in newspapers, websites, or the news. She’d seen him as a boy-scout-frat-boy-self-righteous-grandpa-man. Now? He was nothing short of irresistible.

“Hey,” he said, his smile growing bigger. “I wasn’t waiting by the door or anything, I was just about to open it. I mean, you know, to see if you were, um, coming.”

“Yeah,” she laughed. “Um. Sorry I’m a few minutes late, I had some trouble with my eyeliner. I had to take it all off and start over. I can’t stand it if it’s not even.”

"It looks beautiful to me. All of you does."

“Thanks. You’re looking pretty good yourself.”

“Well. I can’t take all the credit for that. Sam showed up a couple hours before our date. Said he was making sure I wasn’t going to wear some tight Under Armor shirt on our date. He has no faith in me, apparently.”

Darcy shook her head. “Nah, I think that man has all the faith in you.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “Not with the ladies. Though I will say...that little gift you sent over? After I texted, ya know, what you wanted to do tonight? Well, it stumped me. And it stumped him too, so I don’t think I’m being a pop culture idiot in that respect. This time.”

‘Hm,” Darcy nodded. “Fair enough. That was just me being silly, honesty.” Steve then stepped aside, waving her in and she walked into his apartment. She inhaled, feeling like she was instantly transported to a snowy winter’s cabin. Damn, his scent was fucking intoxicating.

“Okay,” she said, walking further into his living room. “You got the gift?”

He reached into his back pocket, procuring a coin. He flipped it up into the air with his thumb and caught it. “Yep.”

“You got anymore of those?”

He frowned, looking confused. “Um. No?”

“Soooo, technically, all you’ve got is one more silver dollar? You don’t have any other silver dollars?”

He smiled and looked around the room, probably wondering if he was being filmed or something. “I guess?”

Darcy laughed. “Okay, I’m sorry, it’s a little inside joke that I have with myself. Hey, Friday? You in Steve’s place?”

“Yes, Miss Darcy,” her father’s A.I. assistant announced. “What can I do for you?”

“My road-trip Spotify playlist. Play track seven for us?”

“Of course,” Friday said, and all of a sudden guitars started playing, and then male voices singing in harmony.

_I've got to run to keep from hiding, and I'm bound to keep on riding, and I've got one more silver dollar. But I'm not gonna let them catch me, no...not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider._

Darcy grinned up at Captain America. “That’s you.”

_And I don't own the clothes I'm wearing, and the road goes on forever. And I've got one more  
silver dollar, but I'm not gonna let them catch me, no. Not gonna let 'em catch the midnight rider._

Steve tilted his head. “I feel like I’ve heard this before. You think this relates to me?”

“Yeah. You. Allman Bros Band. Midnight Rider. It’s kind of what I nicknamed you, before I knew you personally. I would see you on the news or something, and be like, there he goes, ‘the midnight rider.’ You on your motorcycle, being all cinematic ‘n shit. Not letting anyone catch you. Ever. And they tried to.”

He grinned, looking like he was trying to puzzle something out. “Fair enough. I can see that…but, I don’t own the clothes I’m wearing?”

“Yeah, well, my dad pays for everything, designs everything, makes everyone look cool.”

“He definitely likes to say that.”

“Oh, I know he does. I also know that you more than earn your own paycheck, so I’m not implying anything, it’s just a little jab. I mean, he’s my dad, how much do you think he’s paid for of mine? And how many times do you think I’ve been called some spoiled little rich girl? It’s kinda one of the reasons why my last name isn’t Stark. Or Frost, for that matter, as that name comes with the same kind of assumptions.”

“You don’t seem like a spoiled little rich girl at all," he said with a smile.

Darcy shrugged. “Maybe. But back in the day, when I spent a semester abroad in London, all fancy-like, I’d tell the boys in pubs that the song ‘Common People’ was written about me. I was kidding of course, but I embraced it fully.”

Steve frowned. “I don’t think I’ve heard that one.”

“Lotta people haven’t. It’s a condescending Britpop song by Pulp about a spoiled rich girl who likes to hang to slum it with the peasants. It’s fun, though. Good harmony. Very danceable.”

“Yeah? I’ll put it on the list,” he said, reaching into another pocket.

“Wait." She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “You still have a list? No, no, you don’t need to put it on any list. Seriously, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“No, he said, flipping through well-worn pages in a small notebook, “I want to know about these things that make up, well, you,” he said, gazing winningly into her eyes.

Darcy shook her head, smiling. “Damn, bro, you’re killing me with the sweetness. But you don’t need to worry about it, I’ll play the song on a jukebox somewhere, alright?”

He tucked the notebook back into his pocket. “Alright, but I’ll hold you to it. Now, what was it you wanted to do tonight? Something involving a silver dollar?”

She sighed, suddenly wishing she hadn’t confused him so damn much. “It was just a very convoluted way of telling you that I wanted to go for a ride on your bike.”

“Oh!” His expression then went from perplexed to excited, and he he walked over to his kitchen island and picked up a set of keys. “That I can do, with pleasure.”

Darcy nodded, also suddenly excited to be riding behind Steve, arms around his waist, straddling his um…his _seat_. “With pleasure, huh? Sounds good.”

Steve raised a brow as he pulled on his jacket and walked towards her, giving her a grin that not many people got to see, as it was a bit on the darker side. “You better watch those innuendos of yours, or we won’t be going very far.”

She pursed her lips. “Hm, not going very far? Doesn’t sound like much fun. What are we, 12? I would have at least thought some screwing around would be on the table. What did you guys used to call that? Necking?”

His mouth fell open in surprise, and he took her hand, giving her a challenging look and leading them out the door. “You said you wanted to go for a ride, right? I promise, I fully intend on having you climb on top.. Of my bike, that is.”

That about knocked the wind of her, and she struggled to find something witty to say back. Her brain was currently a little distracted with the images of riding Captain America’s cock running through it. She mentally checked that her blocks were all properly in place before speaking again, since she didn’t particularly feel like giving him a window into her fantasies at the moment.

As they stepped into the elevator, she looked up at him. He certainly looked pleased with himself. Like he'd just won a major victory in the great innuendo game. Well, he didn’t know who he was messing with.

“Going down?” Friday asked, as always.

“Yes,” Steve said, automatically.

“And also later,” Darcy added. “Though probably not in an elevator.”

She looked up at him to see that the smug look had been wiped clean off his face. In its place was something almost hungry.

Steve shook his head, the dark grin returning. “Like I said before, you’re nothin’ but trouble.”

The elevator began its descent. Darcy licked her lips and looked straight ahead, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her react to the way he was looking at her. “Am I? Well, lucky for me, it seems as if you’d like to be in trouble.”

After that little remark, she could practically feel him vibrating through the rest of the ride down.

XXXXXX

After some very intense eye contact while Darcy made quite the exaggerated effort of climbing over Steve Rogers’ motorcycle seat and tested it out, bouncing up and down a few times, he handed her a helmet, looking as if he’d rather be taking off items of her ensemble, instead of giving her another one to put on.

She frowned at it. “Do I have to?”

He expression sobered, looking like his mind was very made up about it. “Yes. Safety first.”

“Ugh,” she huffed, pulling it over her head, then muttered, “I really hope you don’t say that later in bed.”

“What was that?” He asked, getting on his bike in front of her, unfairly helmetless.

“Nothing,” she replied, loud enough through the thick plastic so he could hear. She then wrapped her arms around his waist, and wished she could put her cheek up against his back, but the headgear would have made it awkward.

Steve then proceeded to get her back for the previous innuendos in his own way. He practically burst out of the tower garage and sped down the street, taking turns and weaving through traffic like the pro that he was, while she hung on for dear life to his torso. He began to slow down after awhile, and she was able to enjoy the ride, the city at night, the wind, the lights, the engine beneath her, and her thighs right behind his. After crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, because of course he’d want to go across it, she was really hoping he’d stop at a hotel. The sexual tension that was being built up on the ride was so palpable, they were probably glowing with it, like a sexy sparkly aura. But a hotel wasn't their final destination. Instead they rolled to stop in front of a divey restaurant.

Darcy handed him her helmet before climbing off the bike after him. She looked around, noticing it seemed to be a neighborhood in the midst of gentrification. “So, Rogers, is this where you used to take the ladies back in the day?”

He laughed, taking her hand. She loved that it now seemed like a natural habit of his, taking her hand. It made her all melty inside.

“I didn’t take any ladies anywhere in Brooklyn back in the day, and this place didn’t exist then. I’ve never been here actually, I just needed a breather,” he said, running his free hand through his hair.

“Tell me about it,” she mumbled, trying to keep up with the pace he set with his long legs. After they’d gone inside and gotten a booth, she was able to knock the foggy lust out of her mind and actually pay attention to what was happening in front of her, like a server handing her a menu. Darcy glanced over it. “You’ve had Indian food? You like Indian?”

Steve gave her a playful scoff. “I’m not quite as clueless as I used to be. And being around your father, I’ve pretty much been exposed to all the cuisine this world has to offer. Or at least, New York, and New York has always had quite the choice of foreign foods.”

“No lie there,” she agreed, looking over the restaurant’s offerings, and realizing that she was pretty damn hungry, though she wasn’t sure if was brought on from being amped up by both Bucky earlier and then Steve currently, or if she just really needed to eat.

After they ordered, he must have noticed her distraction. “Do you feel strange with Bucky not being here?”

“Huh? Darcy looked up from fiddling around with Splenda packets. “Oh, um, no. Not really. It’s nice having you to myself. “

“I understand. Someone I knew once used to say that to me,” he said, a bit sadly, and she wondered if he was talking about Peggy Carter.

Darcy didn’t ask though, but decided to clarify things a bit for him. “I mean, I don’t mind being with both of you all the time, I love it, actually. It’s just nice getting to know a person one-on-one, and you and Bucky spend lots of alone-time together anyway, so I get why you wanted separate dates.”

“Right,” Steve nodded. “We came up with some rules, me and him, before we decided to do this. The uh, date thing.”

She frowned. “Rules? Why was I not consulted on these rules?” Darcy wasn’t angry about it, she just wanted to know if she’d already broken any, and thinking about sitting in Bucky’s lap earlier made her a bit paranoid, that she’d somehow compelled him to forget his own rules.

Steve's eyes widened. “It was nothing major, I promise, I just figured I should say something, considering we’re alone together now.”

“Okay,” she said. "So tell me all about these very important rules."

“Well, for one, we decided that we were not going to turn this into a competition, like trying to get the first kiss, stuff like that.”

“Oh.”

“And then for two, we agreed that we weren’t gonna worry about it, and just, you know, let things happen naturally, on their own.”

“Okay, so far so good.”

“The only things we decided should be off limits, were uh…” Steve then blushed, and became rather interested in his coke.

“Yeah? Let’s keep the ball rolling,” she said.

“Um. Well. No bonding until we’re all together. No biting, and no…” He cleared his throat. “No sex.”

Darcy frowned, needing further explanation. “You mean, sex as in intercourse? Or is everything sex? Like, including oral?”

Steve coughed while sipping on his coke. “No, no, just the final act. The one that includes bonding. If we all decide to go there.”

Darcy grinned, knowing full well that they all intended to go there, and probably right after their single dates. “Gotcha. And I’m glad that I’m not in any trouble.”

He glanced over at her. “What do you mean?”

“I figured I should tell you. I went to see Bucky earlier today, to try get him to chill about the whole telepath thing. I showed him a memory, and he decided not to be freaked out anymore. We kissed. That’s about it.”

“You kissed?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that things happened naturally, like you put in your rules.”

“That’s good,” he said nodding. “Honestly, I knew something happened, but I wasn’t sure what.”

“Because of the bond?”

Steve smirked. “I can’t read his mind or anything, like you can, but I knew he wanted something pretty damn bad. Figured that something might have been you. There isn’t a whole lot that gets us going the way you do. In fact, there’s _nothing_ that gets us going the way you do.”

“Sorry,” Darcy said, sitting back. “This is a little weird, right?”

He took a visible deep breath. “It _is_ weird. Like we keep saying, this is new territory for all of us, and there are not many people in this world who share a Triumvirate bond, but listen, when it comes to Bucky, I don’t get jealous. It doesn’t bother me that he kissed you first, I’m happy for him. Just like I’m happy for you, that you seem to have found a way to ease his mind about things, as it wasn’t something I was able to do. You are our missing puzzle piece. And I hope we can be the same for you.”

She gave him her own half-grin. “Me too.”

“If you’re sharing memories with Bucky, telepathically, that’s huge, Darcy. It means he trusts you completely.”

“Yeah, I let him see something from my past,” she said quietly.

“What was it?” He then shook his head. “No, wait, you don’t have to tell me that, if you’d rather keep it between you and Bucky.”

“No, there’s no need for certain things to be hidden from one another,” she said, reaching out her hand. “You can watch it too, I don’t mind.”

“I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

“Seriously, it’s fine. It’s just a little embarrassing, I didn’t even mean to show that particular memory to him anyway. It’s like, you’re always cool with showing the guys you’re dating baby pictures of yourself, cause little kids are always cute, no problem. But no one wants anyone to see those ‘awkward years’ photos, and this is like a direct passport to that era.”

“Oh.” Steve still didn’t look convinced.

“Here,” she said, flattening out her hand, palm up. “Let me show you.”

He put his hand over hers, and Steve witnessed the exact same part of her past that Bucky had. When it was over, he blinked and tightened his grip on her hand.

“I’m so sorry, Darcy,” he said.

“Don’t be. It’s all water over the bridge at this point.”

“I was never sure I’d ever say this again, but I respect Tony, a lot more now.

“He’s a good dad. He’s always been a good dad.”

“I can tell.”

“But see, the thing about that memory is, Bucky thinks I showed it to him because he somehow made me feel the way everyone at my old school did. That’s not why, though. He never actually made me feel that way at all, not really. I guess my mind fixated on that particular window into my 14-year-old self, because he felt there was nothing about me that could compare to his, well, darkness, for lack of a better word. I should have explained that to him, but he was uh, distracting me, a bit.”

Steve chuckled, “Oh, I bet. Alpha instincts. After showing me something like that, my first instinct is to pull you over here, wrap my arms around you, and never let go, but we're in the middle of a very crowded and public restaurant, so I’ll have to do that later.” He then put a finger up. “And also, I’d really love to find that bully of yours and teach him a lesson. I don’t like bullies.”

“You would beat up that guy for me? Aww, that’s so sweet. And also kinda hot. But you don’t need to worry about him. Being bullied isn’t why I showed Bucky that memory.”

“So why did you show him?”

“He assumes I don’t have a dark side, but what I did to that kid? How I froze him? It had felt good, I enjoyed knocking him down several pegs. Using my abilities like that, going to a darker place. It’s shocking, how good it feels.”

Steve nodded. “I can relate.”

“You can?”

“Of course. When someone would be weaker, under normal circumstances, suddenly then receives the gift of strength and power? It can be pretty exhilarating.”

“Right. Skinny Steve. Captain America.”

“Something like that,” he said.

“Also, I understand how it feels to have people fear me, and not only that, but sometimes I think they may actually be right in doing so. That’s why my mind went for that particular memory.”

“So when you freeze someone the way you do, can you make it permanent?”

She swallowed. They were moving into dangerous territory here. It was skimming the surface of things she hadn't quite decided how to explain yet. “Theoretically, yes, but I’d have to concentrate on freezing them for like, forever. Sounds exhausting,” she explained.

“Then it doesn’t sound too terrible, or at least, not to the extent that people should openly fear you. What was the longest period you ever froze something?”

And there was that dangerous territory. “Ummm … “

Darcy wondered if she should tell him about all the training at Xavier’s instead. All the discipline she practiced, pushing herself to the very limits, in order to be sure of the extent of her abilities. It certainly would have been safer...easier, in a way. The truth was so much harder and more scary. In the end, she decided to tell the truth, or rather a truth, but to also withhold the parts that she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about yet.

“I can freeze things long term, but it's complicated. There was this coyote in my neighborhood growing up. He reigned terror, killing cute bunnies, some smaller family pets, and tearing up people’s trash. I found him one night, and froze him for like, three hours. While he was frozen, I told him to go away, never come back, or it would be worse for him next time. I had to stay there concentrating on him, I couldn’t just walk away, or the manipulation would have worn off. It’s not like, something I can do from another place. I can’t think in my head, oh, I’ll just freeze Russell Wilson through the TV during a football game and make sure the Seattle Seahawks lose. Nope, I’d have to be there at the stadium. I mean, I’d never do that. But I could.”

Steve smiled, showing no visible signs of being freaked out. “Did the coyote come back?”

Her shoulders relaxed, glad that he decided to ask a benign question.“No. He stayed away. I must have been clear enough in my threat.”

“So you can freeze animals too?”

“Yeah. It seems like the closer the biological structure is to mine, the easier it is for me to manipulate molecules. Humans are the easiest, animals are pretty easy too, plant life, usually. Mostly organic things. When you start getting into the chemical makeup of something like metal, I can’t do that. I can’t freeze my dad while he’s in his suit, and I know this because I’ve tried,” she explained, with a slight grin. “I could have never helped out during the Ultron fiasco because I can't freeze metal. Actually, Magneto would have been helpful for that, I have no idea why none of you called him. I think you might have hurt his feelings. He felt left out. Unappreciated.”

“Are you serious?”

Darcy laughed. “No, I’m totally kidding. Erik doesn’t like getting involved in human squabbles.”

“You call that a human squabble?”

“He’d think of it as one.”

Steve frowned in deep thought, Darcy could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “Could you have been able to convince him? Say, if something, God forbid, would ever happen like that again, would you try? Would you ask him to help?”

She looked down, knowing that something like this would be brought up at some point, Erik had even warned her about it, being caught in the middle of the human/mutant divide. She could only offer a little shrug, and decided to answer without really answering.

“It depends. Events like that seem to happen quickly, and you don’t really have time to call up all your friends for favors, because you have to fight like, right this minute. Then there’s my dad, he’s clever, and he’ll work to keep me out of certain things. He kept me out of his skirmish with The Mandarin. And then during the Battle of New York, he gave me a super secret mission to get Jane out of the country, just in case Loki was looking to kidnap her. Fury was in on it, Coulson was in on it. But my dad had an ulterior motive, as it kept me out of the country too, and if I had known you guys were fighting aliens, I would have tried to help, because I was trained at Xavier’s. I know how to fight. But turns out, I wouldn’t have been much help, as far as mutant abilities go, because I apparently can’t freeze most aliens, as their biological structures are nothing like mine. Like, I couldn’t freeze the Dark Elves either, or it would have been a totally different fight. Though it would have also blown my cover.”

“But you would have done it. Blown your cover.”

“Of course. If it came down to choosing between helping to save the people I love or the relative anonymity I’ve been able to create for myself, I’d choose the people I love every time.”

She kept her mouth shut about saving people she didn’t love, as at times she had the same kind of reservations about helping humans as others of her kind did.

“So can you freeze Thor? With him being Asgardian? Have you ever tried?”

“Well, kinda. I can slow him down, but not completely. Actually, the first night I met him in the desert, I’m sure you’ve heard the story. He was sent to the Earth and Jane ran over him. He was confused, angry, and he was so emotional at the time, that I could pick up on his feelings, projecting all over the place. I knew he was about to beat someone up, probably Erik, not Magneto, you know…Selvig. So I tasered him. That taser is how I try to keep my cover. And if the taser doesn’t end up working, then I’d blow it and freeze him. And in Thor’s case, I tasered him, but that wasn’t going to keep him down, so I tried to freeze him at the same time, but all that happened was he passed out. So, basically I can slow an Asgardian down, but not all the way.”

“Loki?”

Darcy shook her head. “Nope. Can’t freeze Loki. Frost Giants are too different, apparently.” She laughed. “Maybe because they’re already frozen?”

“So Thor…knows about you, then.”

“He knows enough.”

“He’s never mentioned anything.”

“Why would he?”

Steve looked down into his drink.

“Don’t be angry at him. I said he knows enough, but he doesn’t know everything Plus, he’d never betray my secret, anymore than he’d betray any of you. Which is a good thing, right?”

He nodded. “When you put it that way, I have to agree. That reminds me, Bucky and I were talking the other day, and we were curious about something. Can you feel Jane’s feelings for Thor through the bond you share?”

“What? Like the way you could sense Bucky’s feelings for me earlier?”

“It’s not just earlier,” he admitted, looking down at his plate before shifting his gaze back up to her, “but yeah. Something like that. Is your connection with Jane the same?”

Darcy shook her head. “Oh, god, no, it’s nothing like that. I mean, I can tell when Jane is excited to see him after he’s been gone awhile, but it’s not sexual. We can sense each other’s seriously big emotional moments, but I don’t get horny when she gets horny. Does that make sense? What must be happening with you guys must be the potential Triumvirate bond at work. Just a guess though. I mean, could Bucky ever feel you getting it on with someone, you know, before?”

Steve’s brow suddenly furrowed. “Um. Before the war, the bond wasn’t nearly as close as it is now, so, no. Not unless he brought someone back to the place we shared. Even then it was fairly muted. But once we were both overseas, we never, I mean, _I’ve_ never…” he trailed off, looking like he was thinking entirely too hard. “Bucky did. I didn’t. It was a little awkward when he was with someone. I just sort of dealt with it.”

“Hold on. You’ve never…what?” All of a sudden Darcy’s eyes became as wide as saucers as full understanding began to dawn. “Wait, you’ve had sex, right?”

“Of course I have,” he said, flushing deep red. “Well, once.”

“ONCE?”

_How does someone who looks like Steve Rogers have sex one time!_

“Well, yes,” he stammered. “It was…it was right after Bucky…died. Me and Peggy… You have to understand, things were different back then, people talked more. We couldn’t afford to damage either of our reputations, and I planned on marrying her after the war. That was before I even knew you existed though.” He looked at her apologetically.

“It’s cool, Steve. I mean, I’m not going to get jealous over a relationship you had back in 1945. And Peggy Carter...she’s amazing. You know? She’s always been a hero of mine. How could I begrudge you falling for her?”

“Right. Good. Anyway, it was our only real night together. After that, I went into the ice, and I can’t imagine Bucky feeling anything. I couldn’t feel him. Not then. By that point, he’d probably already been...wiped.”

“Oh, Steve, I’m so sorry. We don’t need to talk about this.”

“No! No, you talked to me about your past. You’ve opened yourself up to me and Bucky, and I know how hard that’s been for you, so I should be no less open.”

“So, you’ve only had sex one time?”

“Yeah. Just the once. And I had to repress my Alpha instincts.” He appeared to be extremely involved in the tabletop for a moment, before meeting her eyes again. “We couldn’t, you know...there wasn’t any knotting. Sorry. I know you don’t like that word.”

“Because she was a Beta,” Darcy surmised, dismissing his unnecessary apology with a wave of her hand. “It’s sort of awesome that you can control the swelling like that, but I can’t believe that was the only time, and you’ve never had an Omega. What about after the ‘Great Thaw of 2012?”

Steve gave a resigned shrug of the shoulders. “As soon as I woke up I had to go back to work. Been a bit busy ever since. And besides, no one feels right. No one has felt right, until you.”

Darcy gave a little laugh. No pressure or anything. “But…what about all those chorus girls you used to hang out with during your USO shows? None of them did anything for you?”

“Well,” Steve chuckled, looking down, a bit shy. “I’m not saying I didn’t have a couple of _moments_ with a few of the girls, but nothing too heavy. They were pretty well-chaperoned. Like I said, it was a different time.”

“Chaperoned?”

“Of course. Have you ever seen that movie, A League of Her Own? It’s one of the first films that was recommended to me, as it was about baseball and wartime I suppose. And it’s actually pretty accurate. But it was like that, those girls had a chaperone at all times, and the one time they got away from her, they had to poison the poor woman. It was the same in the USO. The girls got away every once in awhile, of course, but there had to be a game plan, much like the one in the movie,” he remembered, laughing.

“Wow.” Darcy was still a bit shocked.

“I don’t want to disappoint you, Darcy. And Bucky is, well…” he didn’t finish his thought, but blew imaginary hair out of his eyes.

Darcy sat back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. “I seriously doubt you’re going to disappoint me, Steve.”

She then looked at him like a blank canvas, just waiting to be brought out of its bland whiteness and into a world of shapes and color. What could she say? He brought out the artist in her. Her mother, who she was definitely not going to think of right now, would be so proud.

Steve glanced up, giving her that shy, half-grin again, and Darcy felt the same electricity crackle over her skin that she’d felt when she was with Bucky. The sensation was irresistible. _He_ was irresistable. God, she just wanted to climb straight into his lap right then and there. Unfortunately, they had a whole meal to eat first.

Darcy tamped down her impatience, and scanned the room for their server. She couldn’t wait to eat and be done. There was an art project she wanted to start once they got back.

XXXXXX

After, she had to admit, some of the best chicken korma of her life, Steve asked Darcy where she’d like to go next.

“I don’t exactly want to go home just yet, or I’ll just start thinking about that conference I have to go to tomorrow. I really don’t want to go, but I suppose I have to.”

“Where’s it at? Switzerland?”

“Yeah. I hate diplomatic meetings. No one is being honest at those things, everyone is just there to size each other up. They’re all just trying to figure out what they can get out of you.”

“Then you should do that too.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s all just networking. Go and meet a few people, hell, maybe even get a few people drunk, ask some questions, drink right along with them. They don’t have to know you’ll be staying totally sober.”

“I think that might be more Natasha’s line of work. I’m a soldier. I’m not a spy.”

“You’re an Avenger. An Avenger’s gotta be all the things.”

“Hmpf.”

“You can text me whenever. You know, for moral support. And if you get bored in meetings, I’ll send you inappropriate selfies.”

Steve folded arms over his chest, one eyebrow teasingly cocked. “Oh yeah? How inappropriate?”

“Very.”

“I’d like that.”

“I bet you would. You know, you could also ask Banner to develop some super xanax for you.”

“I think it’s a little late for that.”

“Well, I know of a few things to get your mind off your trip. Tension relievers. Like, dancing?”

He shook his head. “I never really learned how to dance.”

“No worries, I’m not gonna take you to some bar with a swing night.”

“Alright. Show me where you like to go. Just, somewhere I won’t be instantly recognized.”

“Hm. That’s why the supe-bars are great, but I don’t think we should go back to the Cantina quite so soon.”

“Do you know of any others?”

Darcy pursed her lips in thought. “What about a nightcap at Chez Darcy?” she suggested, hoping he’d catch on to the old universal code for fooling around. “I can promise there won’t be any bad elements there. Just cold beer, and good company.”

“Chez Darcy, huh? A nightcap sounds good,” he replied, handing her the helmet to put on.

“Hey”, she asked, before pulling it over her head. “How did you know about this place? That’s like, the best Indian food I’ve ever had.

He shook his head and climbed on the bike in front of her. “I know how to google, Darcy. And I even know how to download apps to my phone, like Yelp.”

She really should stop underestimating him at this point, as he’d been assimilating to modern society for four years now. “Right. Sorry.”

“Though I did have to ask Jane what your favorite kind of food was. She said you developed a love for Indian while in London.”

She smiled, wrapped her arms around his waist, and put her cheek up against his back, even though the motorcycle helmet made it pretty awkward. Fuck it, she thought.

After the ride home, they headed up to her apartment. The sense of anticipation in the elevator on the way up was palpable. By the time Steve was seated on her couch waiting for his drink you could practically cut the sexual tension with a knife. Darcy was about to bring their two beers from her kitchen when she caught the sight of him bobbing his leg up and down, obviously nervous.

“What’s wrong? You seem kind of agitated.”

“It’s nothing really. Just apprehensive about tomorrow, I guess. It’s making me tense. Worrying about it.”

“Want a blowjob instead of a beer? I hear they do wonders for tension.”

Steve shook his head. “Alcohol doesn’t have any effect on me, so it would be a waste of your liquor cabinet, but thanks for the offer.”

“I wasn’t talking about the drink.”

His knee promptly stopped bobbing up and down. She watched as his tongue came out to wet his lips, eyes raking over her.

“What do you think?” Darcy grinned, setting the beers down on the counter. “You’ve seen the fantasy. Want to see the real thing?” She started to slowly unbutton her shirt with one hand, exposing a sliver of black lace from her bra.

At first, blinking was Steve’s only response. Finally he seemed to get ahold of himself enough to say, “That… Yes. If you're sure.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure,” she said.

“Christ. Should I uh...” He leaned forward, as if he were about to stand up and join her near the kitchen island.

She shook her head slightly. “No need. I like you there. I can come to you.” As soon as her toes went from the hardwood floors of her kitchen to the carpet of her living room, she knelt down and then began to casually and seductively crawl towards him on her hands and knees.

Darcy maintained eye contact with him the entire time, noting the exact second when his tension and anxiety began to melt away in a haze of Alpha instincts. Steve growled, a deep baritone rumble in his chest, and her whole body throbbed in response. When she reached him, she grabbed onto his knees and came up from between his legs, her shirt hanging open. He reached down and effortlessly lifted her into his lap.

“This needs to happen first before anything else,” Steve said in a gravelly voice, before bringing her to his lips and kissing her urgently.

She closed her eyes and moaned into the kiss. His lips parted under hers, and something inside of Darcy shifted. It was like a part of that had been gradually unfolding opened completely, and strange sense of peace flooded through her saying _this is where you’re supposed to be, enjoy it._

Everything was then set on fire as their kiss deepened. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking on it slightly, before letting his tongue graze over hers. For someone who had been so bashful about discussing his sex life, Steve was pretty damn skilled. In fact, Darcy was tempted to pull back and say something very Bridget Jones-esque, like “Wait … nice boys don’t kiss like that,” but she didn’t really care, because when someone kisses you like that, the last thing you want to do is talk about it. You just want to fucking _do_ it.

He then pulled back, and she unashamedly whimpered over it. There was only so much a girl could handle, and stopping twice in the same day, first with Bucky, and then with Steve, turned out to be Darcy’s limit.

“Uhuh,” she protested. “Come back here. I wasn’t done with you yet.”

“Darcy,” he said, breathing heavily. “We just need to…you know, make sure…”

“Make sure we don’t break the rules?” She spoke as if she’d just ran a mile and was out of breath.

Steve nodded, his eyes glassy. He looked adorably drunk.

Darcy took a deep breath in order to focus for a moment. “Okay. Rules. No actual fucking, no biting, no bonding. Can we handle that?”

“It’ll be hard, but yes.”

“Oh, it will be hard all right,” she said, grinding down in his lap. “I’m going to make sure of that.”

“Darcy.” The warning tone of his voice didn’t measure up to the desperate look he was giving her from beneath his dark lashes.

“Fine. Call it a practice in restraint instead.”

“Restraint was never my strong-suit,” he rasped.

“Me neither.”

“Should we?”

“YES, goddamn it. I’m not like you, I can’t go years and decades without it.” She then took her shirt all the way off, threw it on the floor, and started to unbutton his. When she got down to the last closure, she opened it and ran her nails slowly down his chest, from his pecs, across those photoshopped abs, and right down to the top of his jeans.

“Okay, yes,” he nodded in agreement, while running his hands up and down the naked skin of her back, the only barrier being her bra strap. “Definitely yes.”

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief then put her lips to his for a long and slow kiss, then trailing down his neck, his stomach, until she had scooted out of his lap and repositioned herself, kneeling on the floor between his legs. She went for the button and zipper on his jeans and looked up prior to unfastening them, making sure he still seemed into it. What she saw was naked lust, and perhaps a bit of shock, as if he couldn’t quite believe this was happening.

“So, you’re just gonna, ah, jump right in then?”

She smirked up at him, brushing her hand over his quite noticeable erection through his jeans. He groaned and his head fell backwards onto the couch with a thump, while his hips subtly thrusted up into her fingers.

“Seems like you’re more than ready,” she said, using her palm to rub up and down his length. “Would you rather me tease you for an hour? I wanted to do this so you can relieve some tension, not add to it.”

Darcy then thought of a reason why Steve might have been a bit skittish in the beginning.

“You’ve done this before, right?” She asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Steve lifted his head back up, momentarily sober from being love-stoned. “Um, well, no.”

Darcy closed her eyes for a moment. What grown-ass man in his late-twenties/early-thirties and who is also fucking gorgeous, makes it to this point in life without receiving a decent blowjob? She was at a loss.

“Darcy, I’m sorry, I…”

Her eyes flew back open and she stared back into his. “Steve, you don’t need to apologize to me. There is absolutely no reason for you to be sorry. I’m just wondering how you made it this far in life without sex. Oral or otherwise. Like, how?”

He shrugged then leaned down to brush her cheek with his fingertips. “After coming outta the ice, I guess I never found the right partner.”

Darcy brought her hand up to cover Steve’s. It was so small compared to his. She then turned her head and kissed his palm.

“Until you,” he added, so quietly, she could barely hear him.

Deciding that he shouldn’t have to wait one moment longer, Darcy went back to the task of unfastening his jeans, and had them undone in record time. She almost felt a rush of anxiety at the prospect of sticking her hand inside Captain America’s boxers, but the peace that came with their potential bond was still there, calming her down. Her fingers wrapped around his cock, eyes widening as she realized through the feeling of it just how thick and long he was. Thick, long, and praise whatever deity might have been listening, uncut.

She gave him a healthy pump and he moaned, his mouth falling open, eyes fluttering shut. It was all the encouragement Darcy needed to stroke him again, and Steve must have liked the direction in which it was all going, because he helped her push his trousers down his hips a bit, in order to fully expose his erection.

She licked her lips, coming up with a strategy, because when one was faced with such a large and perfect dick, one needed a plan. After a moment, she bent her head down and rubbed her cheek against him. The silky skin feeling soft on hers, coupled with the rumbling noises he was making, were driving her all sorts of crazy. She was desperately fighting the urge to throw all their rules out the window, and climb straight into his lap again, so she could sink down on his gorgeous cock.

However, they were still practicing the art of restraint, or whatever nonsense they’d agreed to, and if Steve could keep himself in check, so could she. Instead of tossing out the rules, Darcy opted to give him light kisses from base to tip.

There it was, that first hitching catch of breath that had her running her tongue along the edge of his foreskin and the head, before finally closing her mouth over him, taking in as much as she could, and wrapping her hand around what she couldn’t.

Darcy smiled at his reaction to her mouth enveloping him in warmth and wetness. Steve gasped sharply, chest shuddering on the exhale. She began to move her head and fist lazily up and down. He looked down at her, watching as she hollowed out her cheeks, and a string of filthy words left his mouth as his eyes slammed shut again.

“Such language from an American Icon, Steven,” she murmured, swirling her tongue around the tip.

“Fuck an American Icon,” he replied.

She licked a stripe up the length of his erection before answering, “I thought we were playing by the rules. Now you’re asking me to fuck you? Who knew you were such a troublemaker?”

He chuckled hoarsely. “I’m a troublemaker, huh? Interesting choice of words coming from the girl with her mouth around my...”

Steve’s own mouth closed abruptly as Darcy switched up and went down for a long, deep stroke, lips tight around him.

“You were saying?” she asked, when she released him with a soft pop.

“Nothing. Truthfully, I’m not even sure how I’m talking right now.”

She grinned. “So shut up and enjoy yourself, Rogers. I’ve got this.”

He did just that, save for the occasional burst of cursing when Darcy did something he particularly liked. She found herself living for those bouts of expletives, and working hard to draw more and more of them out of him. Each pass of her mouth along his length brought him closer. The labored sound of his breathing increased, Alpha growls echoing in the room at regular intervals, and his hips began moving rhythmically in tandem with what she was doing. She could feel him struggling to hold himself in check, and it was hot as fuck.

It was time to ruin that control. Darcy looked up at him, smirked, and then took him straight into her throat. Steve made a strangled sound, thighs starting to shake. Mission accomplished. In fact, mission accomplished better than expected. All of a sudden his hips bucked up, and his eyes snapped open to fix on her face.

“Darce...I’m gonna…”

“I know, we good here?” she asked, glancing down near the base of his cock to ensure there was no swelling going on.

“Yeah, we’re....” He took an unsteady breath, in and out, before answering. “We’re good. I’ve got it under control.”

Darcy’s eyes flicked up at his face. He looked wrecked, face flushed, and dark, hooded gaze watching her every move. She continued to stroke him with her hand, and let her tongue dart out to lick over the slit in the head of his cock.

“Good,” she said. “Don’t hold back. Like I said before, I’ve got this.”

Then she took him all the way down in one quick movement, feeling him touch the back of her throat before she came back up, only to repeat the whole thing with a little more suction. Steve’s hands clenched into fists on his lap, knuckles going white.

“Fuck… _Darcy_ ,” he whispered.

Moments later he came with a harsh groan, warm liquid spilling across her tongue. She worked him through it, watching with satisfaction as all his carefully crafted self-control went up in smoke, and Steve Rogers utterly fell apart at her hand...and mouth. Darcy though she might actually love this whole being his Omega thing. It definitely had certain perks a girl could get used to, like completely ruining Captain America for all other women.

She let him come down a bit and then climbed back up into his lap. Darcy then reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, pulling her arms through the straps and letting it fall to the floor. He stared at her exposed breasts, seemingly speechless.

“Touch me,” she said, while taking his hands and putting them on her breasts. “I need your hands on me. I need your mouth on me.”

He then squeezed and kneaded, and subtly pinched her nipples, giving her a wave of pleasure that she felt all throughout her body, down to her toes. She threw her head back and moaned, and Steve hissed at witnessing her reaction to his touch, growing hard again.

Darcy unbuttoned her jeans and slid her own zipper down, not wanting to wait for him to catch the hint in his wrecked state, and do it himself. “Steve, please…” she pleaded.

“Whatever you want, Darcy. Just ask me,” he said, his voice low and gravely, needing her to spell it out.

“I want you to make me come. God. I fucking...I _need_ it. Please.”

“Anything. Show me.”

That was all Darcy needed to hear. She took one of his hands from her breast and guided it towards her open jeans, and making sure his fingers dipped inside her panties. “Like this.”

He then took the reins, seeking out where she needed him. She closed her eyes and moaned as he found her clit, feeling as if they’d finally gotten to a place where she could relieve the tension that had been building up between the for weeks. Her hips rolled, grinding against his fingers, needing more friction.

“Darcy,” Steve whispered, while gently moving his index and middle finger around in a circular motion. “You’re so wet.”

She rolled her hips again, practically riding his hand. “Yesssss,” she hissed. “That’s because I want you inside of me so bad.”

He groaned at her declaration. “You’re killin’ me, sweetheart. This is what you wanted, then? Is it enough, or should I do something else?”

“It’s good. But it could always better.” She grinned, deciding to try something with him. “Do you trust me?”

Without missing a beat, he nodded his head, and she let down a psychic wall, bearing her mind to him if he decided to follow. Steve made the connection, and instantly gasped. “I can feel you,” he said, his voice a bit shocked. “I can feel what you feel.”

He moved expertly, using their connection to find his way. Not too fast, not too slow, and just the right amount of pressure. It wasn’t long before Darcy was close, and she sought out his mouth with hers, needing to kiss him through it. He enthusiastically kissed her back, sliding his tongue along hers, both of them making sounds of pleasure, as she neared completion.

When the orgasm finally hit, her mind went blank, bathed in whiteness, filled only with vibrations that felt so good, she found herself still grinding down on Steve’s hand, chasing more and more. When she came down from her high, she noticed that he’d been moaning loudly along with her, and there was a silky wetness along his stomach and hers.

Darcy looked down at his softening cock. “You came again?”

“Yeah,” he answered, breathing heavily, leaning so his forehead rested against hers. “We need to do that again sometime. Soon. It was so intense. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

“What? Psychic sex? Not many people have.”

“It’s like we were of one mind.”

“Mmmhmmm,” she agreed, leaning down and embracing him, putting her head on his shoulder. She felt his arms come around her and they held her tight.

“What’s it gonna be like when the three of us are connected? Bonded?”

“Amazing. It’s gonna be amazing. I can promise that.”

It took a few minutes to clean up, and straighten their clothes out. The minute Darcy was dressed again, Steve tugged her back into his lap. She went to him with a sigh of contentment, cuddling up against his chest. The scent of Christmas morning was so strong in the room, that she half expected to see a fir tree in the corner, glimmering with lights and decorations. It filled her with a bright, happy feeling that buzzed with anticipation. Although there was a part of her that noted it was incomplete without the addition of Bucky. She missed the cookies part of DirtySexyChristmasCookies.

Darcy felt Steve turn his head, angling it down so he could press a kiss to her temple. For a moment he was silent, just nuzzling into her hair and breathing her in. Then he said, “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re discussing the bond like it’s a sure thing. Does that mean you’ve made a decision on all of us being together?”

She sat up, gently brushing a few ruffled strands of hair off his forehead. There was something in that small gesture, in just touching him, that set off a longing inside her in a way she couldn’t explain. Affection and desire welled up in her, threatening to overflow and have her begging him to break every single rule they’d made. She’d felt the same thing with Bucky earlier.

In fact, the craving to be bonded to them had been steadily increasing every single day of the time they’d spent together. The endgame was obvious, and inevitable. Call it chemistry, or biology, or Triumvirate dynamics, but there was no way she wasn’t meant to be with them. Steve and Bucky were already a part of her, and they hadn’t even bonded yet. At this point,, Darcy wondered how they’d ever managed to stave it off so long in the first place.

“Yeah, I think I have,” she answered. “A few years ago, I inherited a cabin upstate. It used to be my grandfather Howard’s. I have a feeling you’ll kind of love it, everything inside has been restored to look just the same way it did back when the cabin was built. If you and Bucky agree, we could take the truck up there when get back from the conference, and spent a couple weeks together just the three of us. Then if things go the way I think they will, we could complete the bond there away from everyone else. How do you feel about that? Good idea? Bad idea? Need time to think it over?”

Steve’s mouth curved up into a smile. “I say yes.”

“Yes? Just like that?”

“I’m a man of action, Darcy, and I made my decision the day you kicked my ass with a handful of flowers. As long as Bucky agrees, I’m on board with this plan.”

“I did kick your ass with a handful of flowers,” she said smugly. “It was awesome.”

“Feel free to do it any time I get out of line,” he replied.

“Mmm, I will. So, I’ll talk to Bucky tomorrow, and see how he feels about it.” Darcy snuggled closer, and Steve responded with a soft, pleased rumble. “I meant it when I said I loved that growly thing you guys do. It’s so...I don’t know. Every time you do it the Omega part of me just wants to be right where I am now. In your arms.”

“Really?” He did it again, louder this time, and she caught him looking down at her mischievously to gauge her reaction.

“Don’t make me get the flowers, Rogers,” she said dryly, and he laughed.

“I’ll behave,” Steve said. “Besides, you’d have to get up to get the flowers, and I’m not willing to let you go just yet.”

“So, if you aren’t going to let me get up…” Darcy shifted in his arms until her her lips could ghost over his. “What should we do to pass the time?”

“I might have a plan,” he told her. “Possibly.”

Steve’s plan turned out to be great, if a little dangerous. It mostly involved a lot of making out, however, several times Darcy felt his teeth skimming the side of her neck, before he pulled back with an audible sound of frustration. Finally he shook his head, rueful smile turning up the corners of his lips.

“I think I’d better go before things get out of hand, and we have Bucky down here pounding on the door. There’s no way he doesn’t know what’s going on. Not with the way I’m feeling right now, and I’ve been on the receiving end of that arm already. It’s not something I’d care to repeat.”

“I know you’re right, but damn. Damn, Steve. These rules are my least favorite thing at the moment. How soon will you be back from the conference?”

“Next week,” he replied. “Believe me, you aren’t the only one who is having a hard time with the rules right now. I’d cancel the whole thing if I could, and peace treaties be damned.”

Darcy sighed, but slid out of his lap so she could walk him to the door. “Okay, Captain,” she said once they got there. “Be safe. No jumping out of the quinjet without a parachute, no hurling yourself out of an elevator from six stories up, and definitely no marching into enemy lines sans backup, okay? I want you back here in one piece, ready to bond.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on her lips. “Take care of Bucky while I’m gone.”

She leaned in the doorway as he stepped out into the hall. “I will. He’s safe on my watch.”

Steve turned around, shooting her a final grin as the elevator doors opened. “I know he is. We both are. See you in a week, Darce.”

“Get the hell out of my hallway, Rogers. Otherwise I’m going to tackle you into the elevator, and all kinds of rule breaking is going to happen.”

She had a final flash of laughing eyes, and then he gone. For a week. Darcy quietly closed her door, and faced her empty apartment. It felt so different when neither of them was there. Less alive, somehow. For the first time in her life, Darcy couldn’t wait to be bonded. She wanted her Alphas home, where they belonged.


	9. Forbidden Passion Fruit Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A whole lot of skirting the rules happens when Bucky and Darcy finally have their date in Central Park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got done with this chapter a little early, so why make you wait until Monday, right? ;D  
> Anyway, that being said, it is also nsfw. Woo!
> 
> *******************************************************

Steve left early enough in the morning that Darcy wasn’t awake to see him go. Bucky had seen him off, though, something she found out while they were on their date. He’d planned a picnic lunch for the two of them at some mystery location in Central Park. 

“I hope this alright,” he said, brandishing the overstuffed picnic basket when he met her in the lobby. “Stevie likes restaurants, but sometimes all the people and hubbub gets distracting for me. I start looking for the nearest escape route.”

“Right on. There wouldn’t happen to be fried chicken somewhere in that thing, would there?” Darcy asked.

“Yeah. Jane said it was your favorite, so I picked some up this morning.”

“Then I’m going to say I love your idea of a date,” she replied, bumping him with her shoulder.

“You know,” he said, “I might have gotten some cookies too.”

“Please tell me they’re chocolate chip.”

“I dunno,” Bucky told her, air of innocence spoiled by the mischievous grin tugging up one corner of his mouth. “You’ll just have to wait until we open the basket. You look beautiful, by the way. I probably should have said that first, but when a guy is faced with a such a knockout, it sometimes takes him a second to get his thoughts together.”

Darcy had chosen to wear a turquoise blue sundress for their date. It felt picnicky to her, with a full skirt that gradually shifted into a deeper shade of blue the closer it got to the hem. She paired it with ballet flats, for walking through Central Park, and a necklace made of tumbled amber chips that she’d picked up in London at a tiny backstreet curio shop.

“Thanks,” she said, letting her eyes travel over his choice of a white, long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. It was simple, and old-fashioned, and it wasn’t lost on her that the choice of sleeves was specifically to hide his arm from prying glances. He had a glove on as well. “You kind of look like a knockout too.”

“Nobody’s gonna be looking at me, doll. Trust me,” Bucky said, settling his right hand down low on her back as they walked out the front doors onto the sidewalk.

It was a short cab ride to the park, and a slightly longer walk to a shaded, woodsy area across the water from Belvedere Castle, where he spread out a blanket for them to sit on. Darcy dropped down next to him, and began to help unload the picnic basket. They weren't even a quarter of the way through before she was suppressing laughter at the sheer amount of food. The basket was obviously built like a clown car...either that, or he’d gotten the damn thing at Hogwarts. 

“Were you expecting the rest of the Avengers when you packed this?” she finally asked, as she lifted out yet another container full of what looked like german potato salad.

Bucky ducked his head, eyebrows quirking up in acknowledgement of how much food he and Steve could put away in one sitting. “Very funny there, doll.”

“Mmm, I thought so.” Darcy set a box of strawberries on the blanket next to the chicken, and popped the top open. “Want one of these?”

“Sure.” Bucky held his hand for the strawberry, but Darcy shook her head. 

“Nope,” she said, lifting it up to his lips. 

“You’re feeding me now?”

“I’m working the whole nurturing Omega angle,” Darcy said. 

“Are you?” Bucky leaned forward, and took a bite of the strawberry. “I like it.”

“The strawberry, or the nurturing?”

“Both,” he said with a wink. “Will you be peeling grapes for me next? I could lay down if you want.”

“Keep that up, and I’ll knock you down,” she replied. She picked up another strawberry, and popped it into her mouth. “Oh my god, these _are_ good. Where did you get them?”

“That farmer’s market on West 57th.”

“Really? I haven’t been to that one yet.”

“I’ll take you along the next time I go,” Bucky said. “Plate?”

She took the china dish from him, and started filling it with food. He did the same with his own, and Darcy had to stave off another fit of laughter when she saw how much he put on it. It was an impressive feat of engineering, really. She counted no less than three sandwiches, two pieces of chicken, potato salad, fruit salad, baked ziti, Greek olives and feta cheese, tomatoes in marinade, baked beans, a couple pickles, and a handful of the chocolate chip cookies he’d hinted at.

“Are you sure you got enough?” she asked innocently. “I think there might be a couple millimeters of space left near the pickles. You could probably squeeze in a few blueberries.”

Bucky balanced the plate easily in one hand, and picked up a fork. “I’ll get them on the next go around.”

Darcy just rolled her eyes. There was a container of lemonade, and she poured them each a cup, carefully setting them on a flat area of grass at the edge of the blanket. Then she finished getting her own food, and dug in. It was damn delicious. She knew the chicken would be, as she’d had it before, but the ziti was amazing, and chocolate chip cookies were ridiculously good.

“So, do they taste like me?” he asked, jerking his chin at the cookie Darcy was eating.

She almost choked on it, grabbing her lemonade and take a big gulp before saying, “I can’t believe you just asked me that.”

Shrugging, Bucky said, “What? Can’t a guy be curious?”

“Curious?”

“Yeah. Curious.”

“Okay, curious. To answer your question, no, you don’t exactly taste the way you smell to me. Not that you don’t taste good, you do. Just not exactly like one of these cookies,” she replied. 

“Huh.” Bucky nodded slowly and reached out to wrap his fingers around her wrist. Then he brought her hand over to his mouth, and took a bite of the cookie she was still holding. He chewed and swallowed, saying, “How about now? Think I’d taste like cookies now?”

Darcy’s entire focus had narrowed down to the strength of his grip around her wrist, gentle though it was, and the liquid heat of his gaze. His eyes dropped down briefly to her lips, and then flicked back up to her eyes.

“I feel like you are asking for something, but I can’t quite make out what that is,” she teased.

“No? Let me spell it out for you then doll,” he said. With that, Bucky leaned around the picnic basket between them, and captured her lips with his own.

He _did_ taste like cookies this time, the dark chocolate flavor sharp and sweet on her tongue. The space between them became a bit of an obstacle when Darcy wanted to deepen the kiss. It was either lose her plate, or pull away...and as much as she was enjoying her lunch, there was no way she was going to trade in kissing Bucky on a piece of fried chicken that would still be there when she was done.

Decision made, she found a home for the plate next to her on the blanket, and pushed up on her knees, reaching up to take his face in her hands. He made a low sound of amused approval, and moments later Darcy felt his free hand cupping the back of her head. 

Once again she was swept away in the same sense of rightness she’d been experiencing lately anytime she was with him or Steve. It ignited something inside her that had her pushing forward, forcing Bucky to move his own plate out of the way so she could climb into his lap. He wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, pinning her in place as the kiss grew more passionate.They were lucky for the little bit of cover the trees provided, because otherwise they would have been giving the people walking by quite a show. 

Finally, Darcy came up for air long enough to say, “ _Fuck_ , I love doing that.”

He grinned, nudging the tip of her nose with his. “Me too. Want to get back to it? I feel like after last night, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Oh God, last night. You totally felt all that, huh?”

“Eh. I figured it was payback for what we did earlier. Nothing a cold shower couldn’t fix.”

“Is that what you did? A cold shower?”

Bucky shook his head, sultry grin curving up his lips. “Nope.”

“Oh my God, Bucky!” she exclaimed, pushing his shoulder. “You’re terrible.”

“What, you’re just figuring that out now?” He scratched the back of his head. “Doll, I’ve been terrible since nineteen thirty-three. So has Steve, he’s just better at hiding it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the future,” Darcy said. 

“The future, huh? Are you trying to tell me something?”

“What, like that I want to drag you both off to a remote location after Steve gets back, and have all the bonding sex? Is that what you’re hoping to hear?”

“I don’t know. Is that what you’re going to tell me?”

“Yep.”

“Really?”

“I mean, I planned to weave it into conversation a little better than that, but yeah,” Darcy said. “So...Steve already agreed. Are you in?”

“I don’t know. I kind of had plans to spend the rest of my life celibate, listening to Stevie whine about the inherent flaws in the American justice system, and this one beautiful broad we’re both crazy about, who we decided _not_ to bond with.”

“Oh. Well. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that,” she remarked. “I can just take my chicken and go.”

He nodded. “Want a doggie bag for that?”

“I said you were terrible, right?”

“Twice now. I’m also a liar. Being celibate and listening to Steve whine is for the birds, and I’d love to bond with you, Darcy. Just one thing, though. You sure we have to wait until Stevie gets back?” 

He was obviously kidding, but she felt what was becoming a way too familiar pang of desire surge through her at his words. Darcy might have control over her Omega instincts, but they were still there, and they didn’t want to wait for Steve either.

“Hey man, I didn’t make those rules. You two did. No sex, no bonding...that wasn’t me. I’m all about sex and bonding right now.”

“That makes two of us,” Bucky replied. “Since we can’t do that...what else is on the table?”

“Hooking up until we’re stupid with sexual frustration, and finishing lunch?”

“We could do that.”

“We could,” she said, nodding. 

“Although I really don’t see the use in you being frustrated,” he continued. “What do you say I put my mouth to better use than just lunch?”

She glanced around at the little copse of woods they were sitting in. “What, here? In the middle of Central Park?”

“I like to live dangerously."

“That,” she said, lying back on the blanket and pulling him down on top of her, “makes two of us.”

“Three of us,” Bucky corrected. “Steve’s actually worse than I am.”

“Is he?”

“Mhmm,” he said, planting a line of kisses down her jaw. “You know what, doll?”

Darcy arched up, baring her throat to him with a little moan. “What’s that?”

“We are gonna have so much fun while he’s away.” She gasped as his teeth scraped over her pulse point, and he shot her a smile of smug satisfaction. “That doing it for you?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh yeah?” He inched a hand up under her skirt. “How ‘bout this?”

The pads of his fingers were rough on her skin. She licked her lips as her body responded to his touch with a fervor that was almost alarming. “It...it’s good,” she whispered.

“Just good?” Bucky’s fingers edged higher, and his lips went to work near one of the straps of her dress.

She somehow managed to respond. “Very good?”

He chuckled softly. “I’ll take it.”

His hand continued to tease her as his mouth followed along the neckline of her dress, until it stopped just above the swell of her breasts. Then he turned his attention downwards, sliding her panties off her legs while placing an evenly spaced row of kisses straight down the middle of the bodice. 

Darcy watched as he pocketed her lacy undergarment, and began drawing her skirt up one slow inch after another. By the time it was midway up her thighs, she was already slick with anticipation. Bucky lifted one of her legs up, resting the ankle on his shoulder. He nuzzled the side of her knee, nipping at the delicate skin. 

“You have no idea what your scent does to me, doll,” he murmured. “It’s driving me fucking crazy. All I want to do is touch you, taste you…” His eyes, which had been closed, opened, gaze fixing her in place with breathless intensity. “...fuck you until there isn’t a single person in this whole damn state who doesn’t know you’re mine. I want it all over me.”

Her throat constricted, blood fizzing in her veins. “Same,” she said. 

“Oh yeah?” Bucky placed a final kiss on her leg. “I can do that. Give me your hand.”

Darcy reached for him, and he took her hand, lifting it so he could rub the inside of her wrist along his jaw. 

“I may not be able to bond you, but I sure as hell am gonna mark you,” he told her, and he did just that, taking her other wrist and repeating the gesture.

Little shivers ran through Darcy while she watched Bucky working his way over every pulse point on her body, trading his scent for hers as he went along. Eventually he had his face between her legs, mouthing at the crease of her right thigh where it met her body. She could feel him place a small bite there, not nearly strong enough to break the skin, but the firm press of teeth had her gasping his name just the same.

“I’m so fucking hard for you right now, Darce. So hard it hurts, and when Stevie gets back, we’re gonna hold you and make love to you the way you deserve, just you wait. But for now? For now I plan on making you feel so good, that the entire time we’re apart later, all you can think about is the two of us, right here, under these goddamn trees.”

He was referring to the fact that she had plans with Wade later on, which meant they’d be ending their date early. Darcy spent a few, brief seconds mentally cursing the fact that she’d agreed to go to the underground punk show with her friends. Then all coherent thought died a quick death as Bucky’s tongue flattened out to lick over her folds.

Holy fucking _God_ he was good with his mouth. He teased over her flesh, tip of his tongue flicking out to work her clit, and then kissing and sucking all over until she was a shaking mess. It was clear Bucky knew what he was doing to her. Every so often he’d look up and catch her eye, smoldering expression going a bit smug around the edges. Darcy’s hips rolled restlessly, handfuls of blanket clutched in her hands as she tried desperately to throttle down her breathy moans.

“That’s right, dollface,” he said. “Just think about how it’s gonna feel when I can finally be inside you, with your sweet, wet little pussy all tight around me. I know I’m thinking about it.”

“Bucky,” she whispered, one hand reaching down so her fingers could catch in his hair.

“You wanna come, Darce? Say the word, and I’ll make it happen.”

Her body arched on the blanket, the hand in his hair guiding him closer to where she needed him to focus. “Please,” she begged. “Just...Bucky...please!”

“How could I say no with you asking so nice?” he replied. “My beautiful girl, all laid out in front of me, and begging me to make her come. _My_ girl. Fuck, I love the sound of that.”

Those were the last words Bucky said for a few moments as he bent his head back down and made good on his promise. Darcy had enough time to suck a sharp breath in through her teeth, and then he sunk two fingers into her, curling and twisting them as her release shook through her. 

It was almost too intense, muscles rippling around his fingers, searching out the thicker swelling that they craved. He seemed to sense that, and added a third. Darcy cried out, rocking against his hand and mouth, desperately seeking out more. More friction, more stimulation, more anything...just… _more_. Bucky gave her that more, not stopping until she was trembling and spent, unable to do anything except stare up at the small glimpses of sky through the branches overhead and pull staggered gulps of air into her lungs.

“That…” she said haltingly. “That was...very...very… _insanely_ good.”

He chuckled softly, arms wrapped around her, and cheek pillowed on her waist. “I noticed that you seemed to enjoy it.”

“Yeah. I um...normally three fingers isn’t… I mean, obviously my body was a fan, but…” Darcy felt her cheeks starting to grow warm from more than just the incredible orgasm he’d just given her as she tried to explain… Well, she wasn't even sure what she was trying to explain at this point.

“Let me get this straight, because it sounds like you’re apologizing to an aroused Alpha for your Omega biology,” he said, pushing up onto his arms and leaning up over her so they were face to face. “Am I right? You’re apologizing for the fact that your body is absolutely perfect for mine?”

“Um…” Darcy cleared her throat. “When you put it that way…”

“When I put it what way? That there is nothing about you, and your needs, that don’t set me off and make me desperate to take you right here on this blanket? Fucking hell, Darce, just listening to you come ruined me a few minutes ago. Knowing that your body was looking for a knot I can’t give you yet, made it so much worse, in the best possible way. Don’t you ever apologize for that.”

“Is than an official order from one of my Alphas?” she asked quietly.

Bucky let out a deep rumble at her words, eyes closing slightly. “Not yet,” he said. “Truthfully, I’m not sure I’d ever be able to give you an order. I don’t want to rule you, Darcy, I just want to be yours.”

“Can you do it, though?”

“What, Alpha voice?” He kissed her forehead before looking at her again. “Probably. Why, you want that?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. All of this is still really foreign to me. I never had any trouble controlling what my body wants until I met you two, and even though I can still force the Omega instincts down...it’s like I don’t want to anymore. Not that I want to be ordered around, I mean, Erik said our bond would be very different from the norm, that we’d all be equals, but there’s a part of me that needs that Alpha connection. So, while I don’t want to be blindly submissive, I sort of want to…hear it?”

Bucky looked at her for a long moment. “You want to hear it.”

“Yeah.” Darcy’s eyes were wide and anxious on his face, as she struggled to come to terms with aspects of being an Omega that she hadn’t had to deal with before. “Does that make sense?”

“I swear to Christ, doll. You are going to be the death of me.” He smiled down at her, and then said, “You want me to do this now?”

“Is that okay?” she asked.

“Is it okay?” Bucky shook his head. “Yeah, Darcy, it’s okay.”

Despite his answer, Bucky didn’t do it immediately. Instead he slid one hand under her head, cradling it gently as he kissed first her right eyelid and then her left. He followed that up with a brush of his lips on the tip of her nose, and each cheek, before stopping just above her mouth.

Darcy was just start to shift impatiently beneath him, when he said, “Kiss me, doll. Now.”

The clear Alpha tone in Bucky’s voice shot through her like lightning, and she immediately obeyed. It happened so quickly that Darcy didn’t even realize she’d done it until his lips were insistently moving against hers in a demanding kiss. The irony that he’d turned the tables on her by giving the same order she given him the night prior wasn’t lost on Darcy either.

Not that she was thinking about that too much. There was something different in his kiss this time that she hadn’t felt before. Whether it was from him using Alpha voice, or just because he was being so forceful with her, it was setting Darcy alight inside. The feelings must have been affecting Bucky as well, because a few second later he abruptly pulled away, chest heaving with low, rumbling growls.

“You alright?” he asked. “Darcy?”

“I’m good,” she responded faintly, still trying to clear the echoes of succumbing to Alpha voice for the first time from her mind. 

“Are you sure?” He looked a bit worried now, eyes scanning her like he thought she might be damaged.

“Yeah, Alpha,” she said teasingly. “I’m sure. That was crazy sexy, though.”

“Was it?” He grinned. “Well so’s you calling me ‘Alpha’.”

“Don’t get used to it. I’m not that kind of girl.”

“I know you’re not. That’s probably why it’s getting me so hot and bothered.”

“How hot and bothered?” she asked.

Bucky sat up completely, holding out a hand to help her up into a sitting position as well.

“Hot and bothered enough to say that we should stop for a while.”

Darcy groaned, leaning into his side for support. “You’re probably right.”

“I know I’m right. Still hungry?”

If Bucky would have asked her ten seconds earlier about food, Darcy would have had a completely different answer for him. However, now she was trying to keep her mind occupied on anything other than the way he had just made her feel, and how much she wanted to feel it again. Food seemed like the perfect distraction.

“Yep,” she said. “Wanna hand me my plate?”

The rest of the afternoon faded into early evening as they cuddled together under the trees, and finished off the rest of the food. Darcy stretched it out as long she possibly could and still make the show with Wade. Finally they packed up the remainders of their picnic, and folded the blanket. 

“I know better than to ask if you’ll be safe tonight,” Bucky said, standing outside her apartment door. “So I’ll just tell you to have a good time instead.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said. 

“Eh. I know you can take care of yourself, doll. Try to keep Wade out of trouble.”

“I will. Do you have any plans for tonight?”

“Other than thinking about the beautiful girl I spent the day with? Maybe. I thought I might meet Bruce later at this bar he likes. He emailed me about it this morning.”

“Bruce wants to go to a bar?” Darcy frowned. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

Bucky shrugged. “Maybe he needs to blow off a little steam.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She couldn’t shake the feeling that something seemed off, but Bucky and Bruce were big boys. They could take care of themselves. Plus, she had about fifteen minutes before Wade would be showing up at her window like some kind of red and black cat burglar to pick her up for the show. “See you tomorrow to work on the truck?”

He inclined his head to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek, well aware of the cameras lining the hall. “Why don’t I pick you up for breakfast first? Say...nine?”

“Breakfast sounds good. Brunch sounds better. How about ten-thirty?”

“It’s a date,” Bucky said. “Until tomorrow, doll.”

“Bucky?” she said as he started down the hall.

“Yeah?”

“Want me to text you when I get in?”

“How’d you know I wanted to ask that?”

“Because I’d want you to do that same for me.”

“Then yeah,” he said, face lit up with a dazzling smile. “Text me.”

“I will.”

He waved, whistling as he headed off down the hall. As Darcy watched Bucky go, she felt like the last thing on earth she wanted to do was spend the night away from him. With a sigh, she turned to head into her apartment, reaching for her phone to let Wade know she was going to be a little bit late.

XXXX

For the third time in less than a minute, Bucky checked the address Bruce had emailed him for the bar. Then he looked up at the blank, brick wall with a single unmarked door offset in it down near the far corner. No windows, no foot traffic, no indication that it was a place people gathered for a drink. 

Normally this wouldn’t phase him. There were plenty of bars in Manhattan creepier on the outside than this one, and it was possible that it might be like the Cantina, for people in the know only. Still, something about it was making the hackles on the back of his neck stand up. He walked down towards the door, the sound of his boots on the pavement echoing through the shadowy alley. 

With his hand halfway to the doorknob, he paused. The feeling of things being all wrong had only gotten stronger. Bucky scrolled through his list of contacts on his phone, pulling up Bruce’s number. He pushed send and waited for the scientist to pick up. It didn’t take long.

“Banner here,” he said when the connection clicked through. “What can I do for you, Sergeant Barnes?”

Bucky glanced over his shoulder, phone cradled against his ear. “Bruce, are you sure that address you gave me was right?”

The moment Banner responded with, “What address?”, Bucky knew he was in a shitload of trouble. 

He promptly dropped into a defensive position, eyes flicking all over the alleyway. “The directions to the bar you emailed me earlier.”

To Bruce’s credit, he didn’t waste a second. “Friday, activate tracking protocol Týr Level One on Sergeant Barnes.” Within seconds of him giving the order, two of the plates near Bucky’s shoulder shifted with a small whirring sound, as the tracking device went live. “Hold tight there, Sergeant. We have your location, and I’m deploying assistance now. I’m also alerting Stark and Rogers in Switzerland. Can you describe the situation?”

Before Bucky could answer, a group of figures appeared at the mouth of the alley. “Fuck,” he said softly. 

“How many?” Bruce asked.

Bucky watched as at least three of the approaching hostiles produced what looked like larger versions of Natasha’s taser batons. They buzzed to life, blue glow filling the alley. “Too many,” he muttered, dropping the phone as covertly as possible, and kicking it towards the wall. “Too many.”

He heard Bruce’s voice, worried and sharp, coming through the tinny speaker, and then the hostile agents were on him. The first two he managed to dispatch easily, but the third somehow got behind him. Bucky was just turning around to deal with him, when there was an acute, stinging pain in his neck. It was joined by a second stabbing sensation in his left leg, and he dropped to his knees. The third baton got him just between the shoulder blades sizzling loudly as it made contact. Bucky pitched forward, vision going grey as he fought to stay conscious. He didn’t win.

It might have been hours or days later when he woke up. He glanced wildly around the room, horror filling him as he fought against the restraints holding him captive in a chair that was all too familiar. Even more familiar, and terrifying, was the voice he heard just before he was electrocuted back into unconsciousness.

“Hello, Sergeant Barnes. Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobody kill us. I swear we have a plan for this, and it's gonna be awesome.


	10. Sweet Revenge Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky goes missing, and Team Cupcake is on the warpath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the smoke has finally cleared with work, and personal stuff...and our visit to Wizard World Philly, where we met this really hot Romanian guy...and we're back to a regular posting schedule. WOO! First order of business, **Save Bucky**.
> 
> ****************************************************

It had taken Darcy a little while, but she was finally relaxing, enjoying the atmosphere, and the company of her best friends. There had been a nagging feeling as soon as she and Jane met up with Wade at the cantina for a bit of pre-partying. It was an icky feeling, like something was off. Something just didn’t sit well. But after a round of Jager-bombs she began to be distracted from it.

After all, it’s important to still spend time with your friends at the beginning of a romantic infatuation. There will always be boys, but your friends are the ones who are there when those boys will inevitably _be_ boys.

By the time Wade had received the text telling him where the secret show was, they all were all well on their way to being elegantly wasted. Though after an hour of dancing, or rather the kind of jumping up and down and fist-pumping that one does at punk concerts, Darcy was starting to sober up, and soon she found herself retreating to the bar for a bottle of water.

She took her phone out of her pocket to look at the messages while she stood in line, as she’d been engaging in a pretty intriguing round of text-flirtation with Steve. She looked down and saw several missed calls from her dad and instantly knew something was wrong, as he almost always texted first. Darcy was outside in seconds with her phone to her ear.

“Cupcake.”

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

“Okay, now I don’t want you to panic.”

Right away, Darcy’s stomach hit the floor, as that’s what people always said right before they revealed something panic-inducing. “Oh my god, did you create another murder-bot?”

“What? No!”

“Did someone show you and Steve convenient video-footage at the conference, and it made you turn on each other?”

She could hear a long sigh from his end. “No, honey, it’s not me or Cap.”

Darcy closed her eyes, instinctively knowing who was in trouble. “Bucky.”

“Listen. You can freak out later, but right now you gotta stay cool as a cucumber for me. Someone got him by hacking into Bruce’s email, led him right into a trap.”

She nearly dropped the phone. “That was such a red flag, Bruce asking Bucky out for a beer. Shit. He would ask Bucky out for Ashtanga yoga, not for alcohol. Where has my mind been …”

“They haven’t had him for long, only a half-hour, tops.”

“Who knows?”

“As of now it’s Avengers-only, and you.”

Darcy walked back inside the venue and started to make her way through the crowd, in order to find Wade and Jane up near the stage. “Good. Keep it that way. There’s obviously someone on the inside. Someone close to Bruce. IP address?”

“Blocked.”

“I’ll figure it out. You’re with Steve? He knows?”

“He knows. He’s currently busy punching walls and potentially costing us millions in property damage, as there’s no way for us to leave right now.”

“Why is that?”

“Quinjet’s been compromised, but backup is on the way.”

“So this runs pretty deep, then.”

“Yep. The people who are most qualified to get him back have been conveniently shipped overseas with sabotaged transportation. We’ve obviously been distracted and walked right into a trap. Now, this is why I’m paranoid. Everything is a damn conspiracy. This was supposed to be when the world let us out of our rooms, back from time-out, publicly make nice. In Switzerland, for crissake! When I get back, I’m not leaving the tower for a year. I always thought that Howard Hughes might've been onto something.”

“We don’t know if this was orchestrated from the beginning or if they’re just using it.”

“Either way, this can’t keep happening.”

“I know. Let me talk to Steve.”

“Sure, just—”

“Darcy?” Steve was immediately on the phone, probably having ripped it away as soon as Tony had signaled him to take it.

She pushed back the sudden onset of guilt that washed over her, knowing that Bucky had been kidnapped on her watch. “Stop punching walls,” she said. “I got this. And I am so sorry.”

“No, absolutely not. You will not feel like this is your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault except the people who kidnapped him.”

“I should have been smarter about this.”

“No. One thing I’ve learned, there are no ‘should haves’ in this line of work, there’s only the moment, ‘should haves’ won’t get him back. Only what we do in this moment will get him back.”

Darcy took a deep breath. “Alright.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can. Back up is on the way, Maria Hill is coming with another jet … just get to the other guys at the tower—”

“You don’t understand, Steve. I got this.”

“Darcy. I don’t want to have both of you in their clutches.”

She closed her eyes … Steve didn’t get it yet. “Listen. Me and Wade can annihilate all of them. I can go in and get Bucky, and Wade can blow up the damn building from the inside and walk right out.”

Steve was silent for several seconds, as he struggled with what to say. “Just … take the team with you.”

“Alright,” Darcy complied. She was totally planning on taking _a_ team, just perhaps not _the_ team. Too many variables. Too many loose cannons to constantly watch.

“I have a feeling that this has something to do with HYDRA wanting to bond him with an Omega, since they used Bruce to get him, and Bruce has been studying our DNA in relation to the Triumvirate gene, and bonding. They tried for years to bond him with a HYDRA Omega to control him further, but never got it right. So listen, if bonding Bucky is what's needed to get him out of there? Bond him. Do it, Darcy. As long as you’ve made up your mind about us, and I think you have…don’t wait for me. Complete the bond.”

“But—”

“Just do it! I don’t want to take any chances on losing him to Hydra again. Not one damn chance, you understand?”

“I understand,” she said, quietly. “I'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe. I promise. Let me talk to my dad again, please?”

“Sure,” Steve said, a certain tenderness now entering his voice. “Darcy, please be careful. I can’t lose you either. Not now that I’ve found you. The thing is...I…uh,” he muttered, starting to trip over words.

“I gotcha. Me too,” she said, confirming everything they just couldn’t say yet to each other.

“Kiddo?” Tony said, Steve having given him back the phone.

“Just try to make Steve understand he doesn't need to worry. I got this. They won’t see me coming. They’ll expect someone like Natasha leading a rescue team, and we’ll give it to them, but then I’m gonna sic Wade on ‘em.”

“First you have to figure out where he is, Cupcake.”

Darcy was finally able to get close to her friends, make eye contact, and give them the barest of nods before they knew their fun was over. Wade instantly marched over to her, switching from party-mode to murder-mode in the span of two seconds.

“I'll get mom and Wanda on it. Hell, I'll get Charles himself on it too if it comes down to it,” she replied. "I gotta go, dad. Wade's locked and loaded here. Stay by your phone.”

“Always. Go full Khaleesi on ‘em, but you know, with ice, instead of fire.”

Darcy hung up the phone before he could make one of his stupid dad-jokes about always needing a Stark in Winterfell.

XXXXXXX

Emma met Darcy and Wade at the tower, and all three burst into Bruce Banner’s office, where he was going over strategy with Natasha and Wanda. He looked positively wrecked.

“We were able to retrieve his phone, which shows the email, but so far we can’t figure out where it came from exactly. It’s my account, but we don’t know what computer was used,” Banner said, as he paced his office, his salt and pepper hair pointing in all directions from him running his hands through it over and over.

Darcy picked up Bucky’s phone from Bruce’s desk and started to fiddle around, going into hacker-mode. “I’ll get it. Whoever sent it was good, but not that good.”

She scanned his text messages for a moment, seeing something maybe she shouldn’t have that was between him and Steve.

_“But did you see them?”_

“No! I already told you. I didn’t see them. Jesus, Steve, knock it off. Don’t make me break that word back out.”

“What … PUNK? What are we, 15 years old?”

“You’re kind of an asshole now, you know that?”

“Oh, how the tables have turned, almost a homerun and you didn’t even get to third base first. Went right on by. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.”

“WE WERE IN PUBLIC. Fucking LEAVES were shielding us from the hikers of Central Park.”

“That didn’t stop you from…”

Darcy’s face turned a bit red as she closed out of whatever that particular conversation was about without reading any more, going right to Bucky’s Gmail app, while firing up her own laptop. She put her head down and started to focus and plug away, knowing she wasn’t far away from extracting the intel she needed.

“Did anyone in the labs not show up for work today?” Emma asked. “Or leave early?”

Her mother’s question just so happened to be unnecessary, however. “Got it,” Darcy said. “Bruce. It was sent from your laptop five hours ago. Who was in your office at that time?”

Banner narrowed his eyes. “Just my assistant.”

“Get him in here,” Emma said. “We’ll do the rest.”

Five minutes later, and a squirrely-looking young scientist, fresh off the MIT boat, was escorted into Bruce’s office by Sam Wilson, Scott Lang, Clint Barton, Vision, and Rhodey.

“Jesus you guys, talk about bringing the atomic weapons to the knife party,” Darcy said, looking at the scared kid surrounded by Avengers.

“It wasn’t him,” Emma dismissed instantly, with a wave of her hand. “He let his co-worker check his email on Banner’s laptop. It’s the co-worker. Where’s your raven-haired little friend, love?” She asked, smiling sweetly, and yet evilly, at the same time. It was a look that Emma had mastered quite well.

“Wow. That was capital S scary,” Sam mused. “I don't suppose you'd consider a career-change. We could use someone who can out-terrify Natasha.”

“Yeah,” Lang added. “Although Hank Pym told me to never trust a Stark, I have to admit, the benefits package is great.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “I trusted a Stark once...and ended up pregnant.”

Darcy stood up from her spot at Bruce’s desk. “Okay, guys, stop trying to recruit my mom, she runs her own team these days. Now go find the shithead who sent the email, we’ll do the rest.”

“He should be in the Starbucks on the ground floor,” Emma said, coolly.

“How did…” Clint began to say. “You know what? Nevermind.” Vision then disappeared and within the span of two minutes, another equally nerdy and young scientist entered the room, although Vis needed to use the door this time instead of just melting into the walls.

Darcy’s mom then stood, looking him in the eyes, which he averted to the floor. “It’s okay, sweetie,” she said. “I know. I know how horrible it can be. Student loans. A sick father. Sometimes you just get an offer you can’t refuse, although you do work for people who might have been able to help you out, without resorting to dealing with an organization of modern nazis. But we know. Someone just hands you a package. They say, ‘here’s all this money, all you have to do is deliver it. No muss no fuss. Easy peasy. You don’t even have to think about the ramifications. Just a simple job. No need to think about all the lives you could potentially help to ruin,” she said, the menace now entering her sweet speech.

“Mom,” Darcy said, with her eye on Bruce, who was looking pretty stressed out and angry with his arms crossed in the corner. “Just extract what we need. We gotta get out of here.”

“Sure, honey,” Emma said, smiling, as she stared at the obviously scared shitless kid.

Natasha then caught Darcy’s eye and gave her a slight nod, signaling that she and Wanda were about to duck out. They’d be with her, while the boys would probably have to stay for containment duty.

Her mother reached over and touched her hand, giving her the address to where they had Bucky. She then grabbed Wade and got the hell out of Dodge. As the newly formed team of three women and Deadpool rushed down the stairwell, they could hear the telltale sound of a roar from “The Other Guy”. Bruce had gone green, and they couldn’t stick around to help with that particular sticky situation. They had another one to deal with at the moment.

XXXXX

“Hey dad, I’m on my way over there and I need a bit of a distraction on the way, so I don’t literally start tearing my hair out.” Darcy and Wade were sitting in the back of a jet, while Natasha and Wanda sat up front to navigate.

“Listen. I want you to be careful, kiddo. And I don’t want you to think twice about it if you need to st-”

Darcy interrupted, not wanting him to finish his sentence. “I’m not worried about that right now.”

“Good. Who’s lined up?”

“Natasha is leading. Wanda is coming out for extra security, but promises not to visibly use her powers in front of the public. Wade is in it to pile up some HYDRA bodies, and to be my rock, or rather, the cheese to my macaroni, as he called it. And then there’s me. Suited up for the first time since Xavier’s…and yeah, before you ask, I’m prepared to go full-out Khaleesi.”

“What about the others? Sounds like you should be called ‘the estrogen squad’.

“Are you implying that a group of women can’t handle the job?”

“Of course not. I love the idea of an all-female team. Like a superhero Lilith Fair line-up. ”

“We have Wade, dad.”

“Yeah, and we all know that he’s just one of the girls. So maybe get Vision to go with you.”

“Welllllll … he’s with Uncle Rhodey, Clint, Sam, and Scott. They’re all on containment duty.”

“Bruce went rage monster?”

“Yep.” Darcy chewed on her lip for a few minutes before gathering the courage to ask what needed to be asked. “So… Dad. I need to know something.”

“What’s that, Cupcake?”

“What made you change your mind about Bucky?”

“Er…”

“I mean, prepare for some rambling, dad, okay? So i’m following every single instinct I have to go out there and find him with an extremely fierce single-mindedness, and to permanently freeze anyone who has laid a hand on him. And I’m thinking about Steve from last spring. How he was pretty much doing the same thing. And I’m a bit shaken up about it. Mainly because I’m positive now that their bond had a lot to do with that mess, because I have a brand new perspective on the subject. And I want to do this mission because I really want to, ya know? And not because of some genetic bond. I mean, one day you almost kill Bucky, and Steve I might add, and then months later, you call me up and you’re like, ‘he’s an Avenger now, let’s just go with it, we’re cool.’ You’ve even been on missions together. And I realize what happened. I know this. All of it. Intellectually, I know this. Bucky wasn’t in there at the time when all the shit went down. He was a living weapon that HYDRA activated. No autonomy. But in your heart, what changed? What makes you be able to break bread with him? I mean, I’m sorry I’m rambling...I can’t help it. Inherited trait, right? And I’m just super nervous right now and I want to go into this mission with absolutely no distractions or nagging thoughts, no matter how fleeting. So I need to know what changed your mind.”

She heard a long sigh from the other end, and waited until Tony walked out of whoever's earshot was in the vicinity. Probably Steve’s.

“Bruce changed my mind. When he got back,” Tony said, quietly.

“Bruce?”

“Yeah. Made me see that there were actually two puppet masters in the whole thing. Zemo…and Ross.

“Thunderbolt. Right. Makes sense.”

“If Bruce had been here last spring, he never would have let us get involved. Ross was out for a personal vendetta against Bruce, as he’s always outsmarted him. Thunderbolt couldn’t control him, so he wanted control of the Avengers, just like he’s always wanted control of Bruce’s discoveries. And when he had a slight hold on both, it was like what Vision warned. Catastrophe.”

“So you felt manipulated by him?”

“Hell, I’m not even sure if the bastard didn’t send that grieving mother to ambush me at the MIT lecture. Now that I can stand back and really think, the timing of everything, it was just a little too coincidental. MIT happened, and all of a sudden he’s showing up at my door, and he says, ‘Mr. Stark. Want to shoot some rounds? And by the way, it just so happens that I have these accords here for you to sign. Just a document bigger than the Bible under my arm.”

“So you wanted to come to your own conclusions, to not let anyone make up your mind for you.”

“Yes…and no. Believe me, I still wanted to kill Barnes. I wouldn’t have. But I still wanted to.”

“Well, what happened?”

“It was the notebooks, honey.”

“Notebooks?”

“See, Bruce gave me some Hollywood-esque line, something that could be out of a damn movie. He said, ‘I’ve killed people, and then I’m told by friends that it was really The Other Guy. And maybe that’s true. But I still did it.”

“Aww, Bruce.”

“Right, it was a very ‘aww’ moment. Science Bro stuff. Hashing things out over a little quantum physics. But anyway, my point.”

“Yes, your point?”

"My point is this...they really did put his brains in a blender," Tony said, almost too quiet to hear. "I might have had Scott break into Ross's office at the Harry S. Truman Building, and get a hold of Barnes' notebooks he had in this adorable backpack when Steve first found him. Well, they were diaries. The guy kept _diaries_. Maybe they could call them "The Assassin Diaries" for a show on the CW. Anyway. The earliest ones were a lot of nonsense and strange stream of consciousness. They were written by a person who was definitely not in his right mind, but they gradually became more and more cognizant and thought-out. Much more clear, even his handwriting. And with that came unbearable remorse. A heartbreaking sense of shame. It was painful and I eventually had to stop reading them. After that, I just knew. I knew it really wasn't his fault. It took me awhile to be in the same room with him, and I still might not like him all that much, but—goddamn it, am I really gonna say this?—Steve was a teensy bit...um...right. It wasn't Bucky that killed my parents. It was a HYDRA weapon that killed them. And yeah, so I put the notebooks in Dad's old archives, locked away."

"Does Bucky know you have his notebooks?"

"Well...no, not exactly."

"Does he know you read them?"

"Uh, no, definitely not that. He might...well, he might think that they were destroyed during all that drama in Berlin. Because that might be what I told him when he asked where they were."

"Oh my god, dad. I just... I don't even..."

"You asked, kiddo."

“But you didn’t read all of them?”

Tony paused for several seconds before answering. “No. It became a little too close to home.”

“Because of…grandma and grandpa?” Darcy had always had trouble calling Howard and Maria Stark “grandma and grandpa” seeing as how she’d never met them, but she also felt funny calling them by their formal names as well.

“A little. More because I know what it’s like to have unintentional blood on your hands. All of us. We all know. But when faced with the exact scale of it … the weight of it, it’s hard to act rationally anymore. You just want to make it right at all costs. Alright, Cupcake, do you have your answers yet? I can’t believe you’re not there yet, who’s piloting? Wanda? You know she doesn’t have a license, right?”

Darcy knew that Nat was the one piloting but decided to take a little pity on her father, as none of his revelations to her could have been easy. She decided to run with the joke. “I mean, Wanda’s doing pretty well, dad. She almost ran into a building, but Nat helped her navigate around it.”

She could hear Tony’s relieved sigh that their turn in conversation seemed to be successful. “Well I guess having Wanda pilot is better than having Wade do it, what with his penchant for drinking Everclear while driving.”

“He’s promised not to do that anymore.”

Wade turned his head towards her and mouthed “What?”, somehow instinctively knowing that his name had been brought up.

Darcy gave him a little grin. “That you said you’d stop drinking diesel-fuel while driving or piloting.”

“I never made any such claim,” he said, just before reaching into his bag on the floor. “Which reminds me, time to self-medicate.” Wade then procured a small piece of folded wax paper which housed about a tablespoon of white powder.

“What?!” Darcy yelled. “You’re not doing cocaine right now! Did that mission in Bangkok teach you nothing?!”

“Who’s doing cocaine?” she could hear her dad yell into the phone.

Wayne looked momentarily insulted. “Of course Bangkok taught me something, it taught me everything … only molly or MDMA before a mission now. But no, this is none of those things. It’s BC Powder. Headache medicine, Kitty-cat. You get it at truck stops in the South. Useful stuff for a migraine, which is what I’m developing, watching everyone around here mope. I don’t understand what you’re so worried about. We’re going to go in there, we’re gonna pile up some bodies, and go back home for a celebratory drink. It’s almost sad, the odds stacked against HYDRA. They don’t know what they’ve messed with. I know this, you know this, and see those birds out there?” Wade asked, pointing out the window. “Even THEY know it. They’re just flying around without a care. Come on, Darce, where’s my ferocious ice vixen?”

She knew that Wade was right. It was time to stop worrying and get her head straight. “Okay, Wade. I gotcha.”

“Cocaine? What’s going on with cocaine?” Darcy had forgotten she was still holding her phone to her ear and could hear Steve in the background.

“Oops. Sorry, it’s not cocaine. But I gotta go, we’re landing.”

“Where did you say they had Bucky exactly?” Tony asked.

“Jersey. Some abandoned warehouse.”

She could hear her dad click his tongue in annoyance. “Honestly though, does HYDRA have absolutely no class? Jersey?”

“I know, right? Anyway, bye dad. Thanks for everything. Tell Steve again, we’ve got this.”

“Of course, we’ve got a Stark, an assassin trained with the faceless men, a red witch, and a zombie from north of the wall, well … Canada. I’ve honestly got no worries.”

“Oh my god, stop it with the Game of Thrones jokes, dad.”

“You forget, Cupcake…there must always be a Stark in—”

“OKAY DAD, WELL BYE.”

Darcy hung up the phone, finally completely confident in exactly what she had to do.

XXXXX

It was all part of the plan. Darcy kept asking herself, “what would Daenerys do,” and at the same time resenting the fact that her dad’s analogies had crept into her brain. But the idea was there. Let them think they have all the power, let them think they’ve won … and then let them see exactly how wrong they are.

Nat pinpointed every single agent stationed outside the warehouse and Wanda successfully mind-fucked all of them into oblivion. Wade walked in and introduced a few handfuls of goons to Bea and Arthur before they could sound an alarm. Darcy was on his heels, touching a mind here and there, in order to figure out where Bucky was being held, to get into their minds, before Deadpool’s katanas silenced them forever.

Then she finally found it, the room. She looked through the window, seeing where he was being held … and there he was. Strapped to a chair, eyes closed, hair in front of his face that he couldn’t brush behind his ears … the expression on his visage almost resigned. Darcy was worried for a second that they’d already gotten to him, except for a slight turn in the corners of his lips. Defiance. He was still Bucky. For now. And she wanted to lay waste to the entire building and its HYDRA contents. Something burned deep inside of her and she fought it, insisting on keeping a clear head. Seeing this man, the beautiful spirit she’d come to know, strapped down and helpless, was making her see all kinds of red.

She looked at Wade and he nodded, knowing that he was to stay back, and then she opened the door, changing her expression from murder-mode to one that was a little more demure and unsure.

As soon as she walked in, a man in a lab-coat and a bow-tie, who was sitting beside Bucky, stood up.

Bucky’s eyes opened, caught sight of Darcy, and they widened in fear.

The man in the lab coat smiled slowly. “You really should not have come here. But since you have …”

Darcy then saw Bucky struggling in the chair he was strapped to, muscles straining as he tried his best to break free, but his efforts were in vain. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“Darcy, RUN! Just turn around, and run! Now!” he growled, putting as much effort into his alpha-voice as possible. She knew that he was trying to protect her, didn’t know that she was perfectly fine, was under the impression that she was being reckless.

She was compelled to do exactly what he said, like before in Central Park. But this time she didn’t want to obey. She stood her ground, working through the buzz of his voice. They were not officially bonded yet, and she could concentrate enough in order to ignore it.

The man with the lab-coat looked way too confident. He was sure that an unknown girl in black tac pants and a black t-shirt couldn’t do much, as she wasn’t the Widow and nor did she have a red glow emanating from her hands. He didn’t feel the need to call for back-up. He sounded no alarm. He only raised a gun, smiling, and pointed it at her. “Please. Take one more step. I’ll say the only word I need to say, in order to make him do anything to you that I want him to.”

“Okay,” Darcy said, shrugging, and took a step forward.

The man smiled further. “Sput-”

She held out her hand, concentrating, freezing him and his tongue where they stood. A grin slowly formed on her face, something sweet and yet evil, like Emma…and yet also irreverent in the face of danger, like Tony. She cocked her head to the side.

“You were saying?”


	11. Sweet Revenge Cupcake Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hydra finds out the hard way what happens when they mess with the wrong Cupcake. (And Bucky finds out his day is about to get exponentially better)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom! See? We told ya we'd be updating faster. Here's part two of the Team Cupcake rescue mission. For the record, we had the best time writing this. Bamf!Darcy is one of our favorite things. We're all about her taking names, and kicking ass. There's even a little fluff...if you squint. (well, squint and maybe tilt your head a little) Anyway, we hope you like it and...in case anyone was wondering...the NEXT chapter is definitely gonna be nsfw. Because. Reasons.
> 
> *******************************************************************

“You don’t know me,” Darcy said, still grinning at the obviously surprised and frozen HYDRA scientist. 

She took a few more steps towards him, walking into the center of the room. “Sure, if you’ve done your homework, you might know me as ‘the intern’ or ‘the hacker’ … or perhaps ‘the best friend’. Me and Jane, we’re tight. We hang out with Thor, Thor hangs out with the Avengers. Just a tertiary part of that whole world. But I’ve been pretty diligent about making sure that’s all anyone would find if they actually went digging.” 

Darcy walked right up to the man and took the gun out of his hand, and pointed it at him. “And I’m only telling you this now, not because the information will be of use to you later, because it won’t, but so that you will know just how wrong you were. Do you understand? Oh, wait, you can’t answer,” she laughed. “Let me fix that for a second.” She then sped up the molecules the man needed for speech, but nothing else. 

“Reinforcements…will…come,” he managed to squawk out. “If I…don’t…check in. You’re going to… _Die_.” 

She shook her head. “Nah. I don’t think so. I’m alright, but thanks for your concern. It seems as if HYDRA is pretty desperate these days, I mean, an old warehouse in Jersey? Really? With barely any surveillance? It was pretty easy to hack into, by the way. No one is going to see anything out of the ordinary if they look, I can promise you that. And by now, mostly everyone in this building has been dispatched, right Wade?” she asked, ready to listen to his voice on the com in her ear. 

“All good, kitty-cat.” 

“Great,” she said, then focused her attention back on the man. “Oh, I’m sure that reinforcements will fly in at some point, without check-ins, but certainly not in time. You were expecting a team of Avengers, without their two leaders, the ones who are conveniently stuck in Switzerland, to come after him. But that’s not who came.” 

“Darcy? What are you doing? Who’s here?” Bucky asked, strain in his voice, as if he were fighting to hold onto a sense of calm. She knew they’d done something to him, but she wasn’t sure what. 

"Oh you know, I was out for a walk, and thought I'd save your ass. How am I doing so far?" she said, not looking back at him. She needed all her concentration focused on the task at hand.

Bucky laughed hoarsely, and Darcy could hear him shifting around in his restraints. “Good, doll. You’re doing good. We got an ETA on the saving? ‘Cause I don’t want to rush you, but we’re sort of working under a time constraint here.”

“Not long. I just have to deal with this asshole here first. Shouldn’t take too long. He looks like an absolute piece of cake to me.”

“Go ahead, try your worst,” the scientist said, struggling with his speech. “You don’t know the codes to release him, and I will never tell you. No amount of torture will get that out of me. That chair will keep him there until reinforcements show up, no matter how long they take. And even if you were able to release him, you don’t want to know what he’d do to you in the span of 5 seconds flat.” 

Darcy laughed, almost a giggle, going back to a certain dark place, somewhere she never really wanted to go back to, but she had to admit, felt pretty good. “I’m not afraid of him … you think I can’t freeze him, just like I froze you? And seriously, I don’t torture, silly. If you get answers while torturing, they’re never the right ones. Doesn’t everyone know that by now? No, I don’t torture. I just extract. Here … let me show you,” she purred, sitting the gun down onto a tray table next to Bucky, and walking right up to the man’s face, standing on tip-toe. 

“Darcy…” Bucky said. 

“I know, Cookies, time constraint. But I need like, one more minute with this guy. Two tops, and we’ll be out of here.” 

She looked at the man. He looked like a totally normal guy, but with a penchant for bow-ties. He had no accent to speak of, seemed to be American, light-complected, dark-blondish hair … but he wasn’t a normal guy. He was the enemy. That was the scary part about HYDRA, you never knew what or who they could be. Could be anyone. Could be a totally benign-looking nerd like the man standing in front of her. And he was of course frozen, but his eyes looked scared, as he had absolutely no idea what was happening to himself, and he wasn’t used to that. He was under the impression that he’d thought out every single variable, planned so well. But it turned out, he was wrong. All the wrong, in fact. Because that was also the thing about mutants, they could be anyone as well. Appearances could be very deceiving. 

Darcy raised an eyebrow. “And to extract what I need, all I have to do is ask once. So very simple. As simple as breathing, really. It’s the control it takes to not go too far … that’s the hard part,” she revealed, putting her hands onto his temples. And all of the affected sweetness and smiles that she’d plastered onto her face were gone. Her visage smoothed into one of vengence. Anger. She went back to full-out murder-mode. 

“What did you do to him?” 

It was just one sentence, one request, but she was suddenly met with his whole history in respect to The Winter Soldier. His mind automatically went to that part of his brain, to all the files that kept the memories of his time as the HYDRA scientist in charge of their “Asset”. 

Turned out, he’d inherited Bucky, thought of as property, in the early 90’s. He and Pierce. The US, and their branch of HYDRA, which at the time was much more advanced than its other factions, became his handlers. They took over the Winter Soldier program after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Russians couldn’t be trusted with much of anything with their government in shambles. The other enhanced soldiers stayed locked away and out of sight, out of memory, as they were still much too volatile. They’d be dealt with after HYDRA’s glorious coup and the rise of their perfect New World Order. The other soldiers would help to keep order after Project Insight did its initial job. 

Much of their early work with “The Asset” was more of the same he was used to, or rather, doing the jobs that unenhanced soldiers couldn’t do, and of course the dirtier jobs. The ones that required more of a machine than a man. The ones that required complete stillness, sometimes for days, in order to achieve the perfect target. The ones that required zero sense of humanity or compassion. Ones that required numbness and total compliance. They also experimented with surgical modification during that time, making Bucky able to jump inhumanly high, or able to take landings from a drop that would kill anyone else. There were also the dangerous and unimaginably painful inoculations, which would instantly kill any normal human, making him able to walk through a crowd infected with any and all manner of diseases, completely untouched, useful for the potential biological warfare they had planned in the future, if Project Insight failed. One thing about HYDRA was that they always had a plan B. 

Darcy’s resolve to keep riffling through the Hydra agent’s memories began to falter at the images she received of Bucky being “worked on”, or rather, tortured, ripped apart, and put back together over and over again. Each time rendering him a little more removed from the person he once was, which was exactly what they wanted. But she wasn’t prepared for what she’d see once she delved even further. 

HYDRA got it in their heads that he’d be even more more compliant if bonded to an Omega loyal to their cause. Plus with two inhuman weapons for the price of one, the bonded pair would be able to work missions together with total ease, completely in tune with each other, but only answering to HYDRA. _Controlled_ by HYDRA. At first, The Asset complied after being told to. He did his duty and tried out every manner of Omega, most of whom were willing, but with a few needing a little persuasion. The potentials never took, however. Something seemed to be preventing their pet weapon from initiating a full bond. 

Their team of experts decided the brainwashing was the problem. It was apparent that in order for Bucky to make that very human decision to connect to another person, they wouldn’t be able to use any type of compulsion. Wiping him became a detriment to the cause. They needed him at least a little cognizant and in control of his own actions. 

The only problem was that these were the times in which The Asset would flat-out refuse to attempt a bond, clinging to every shred of humanity that managed to break through their conditioning. So of course, they thought up a way to be a little more…persuasive. That’s when Alpha stimulants came into play. 

They began with small doses, hoping to induce bonding instincts without awakening something that might put him out of their control. When that didn't work, the stimulant doses were increased to intense levels. Each dose got higher until the Hydra scientists were forcing Bucky into Alpha ruts to achieve their goals. These ruts were heightened to the point where Bucky was in near-agonizing pain unless he performed. They would even give him the illusion of privacy, with the lab techs behind glass in an observation room, instead of right in the room as before. But even then, he refused to bond with a single one. 

That’s when the scientist and Pierce started to take even more drastic measures. They brought in more and more Omegas, straying from the ones who had offered themselves up as loyal to the cause, and kidnapping them right off the street. Of course, any Omega who failed to bond with Bucky never left the compound alive. Bucky was unaware of this however. They’d never made their Asset actually watch her being dispatched. 

His continued refusal to bond took that concession straight off the table. If Bucky’s humanity was something he wanted to cling to in these moments, then they’d use it against him. All further unsuccessful attempts at bonding resulted in them shooting the failed potential in the back of the head, right in front of him. 

Darcy couldn’t imagine what that had been like for Bucky. He’d finish what they wanted him to do, sweet relief washing over him as the stimulants finally leached from his system, giving him a chance to breathe, and then he’d see exactly what his defiance cost. 

Death was nothing new to him. Even brutal death usually left him impassive, but these were women he’d just been inside of, their necks bared to him in willing submission. He’d fought not to hurt them, even with the stimulants raging through his system. Now they were dying because of him. The cause of their murders was him alone, and not a necessity like his other missions. 

Hydra had seen their mistake. If he wouldn’t bond when given a choice, then choosing incorrectly would result in the deaths of innocent women. Bucky began trying over and over to complete a bond in a panicked attempt to save even one of the poor Omegas they were parading through their labs. And yet, even then, there was never a successful result. 

Around the time in which the studies of an ally were becoming more advanced, and the concept of a potential Triumvirate bond became less and less obscure, they realized why they were never successful. They had a potential Triumvirate on their hands, and one who possibly already had some type of bond in place.

It was apparent to the scientists and Pierce who that bond might be with as soon as Steve Rogers became a target of the Winter Soldier. He was able to stir Bucky’s memories with the mere mention of his given name. If this were true, they would only be successful if they found an Omega with the potential to bond with both their asset and Steve Rogers. 

They began forming a plan. Capture Rogers. Discover other potential Triumvirate gene carriers using Project Insight, and find one to bond with both. But then everything was lost. The Asset was lost, their precious helicarriers were lost, Pierce was lost … and so was their dream of a New World Order. Or at least, for the time being. 

Hope wasn’t completely gone, however. If they could get their Asset back and bond him with the right potential Omega, one with a Triumvirate gene, then perhaps they could have Steve Rogers as well. It was clear that the man would rest at nothing to rescue his childhood friend. Hydra was confident that Captain America would walk straight into their clutches if they had both Bucky, and the third in their Triumvirate. Having all three would was a coup they couldn’t resist. It would leave their cause nearly invincible. Efforts to retrieve their asset increased to a fever pitch. And then it was if their dreams had come true. Bucky was back on the run, and on the radar. A manhunt ensued, but he slipped through their grasp once again, disappearing like smoke through their fingers.

When he reemerged as an Avenger, they began to plan anew. He was clearly bonded to Captain Rogers in some way, that much was obvious, which still left the third member of the Triumvirate bond somewhere out there. They began working on a new scheme, one which involved hunting down the unknown bondmate. Hydra just needed to bide their time, and find the right situation, and they’d have everything they wanted all wrapped up in a neat Triumvirate package. 

Discovering that Hydra was pursuing the third member of the bond was unsettling to Darcy. She dug around further into the scientist’s head, trying exactly how much Hydra knew, if anything, about her. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like much. There were rumors that the two Super Soldiers had located their bondmate, but that was all. 

This left Hydra with a small window of time to act. They had to take swift action, or risk losing any chance of getting their Asset and his bondmates under Hydra control. They planted spies, interns, even highly regarded scientists and engineers within the Avengers employ, granting them incentives to turn on their employers for any and all morsels of information pertaining to either soldier or their nameless potential bondmate. They also tracked down three female Omegas who exhibited signs of a Triumvirate gene. There was no guarantee that any of them would be able to bond with Barnes, but they were a fail-safe in case the unknown Omega he and Rogers had found became impossible to extract.

Months passed while their plans were stuck in a holding pattern. Then they got lucky when a spy they planted on Bruce Banner’s team picked up that the doctor had run some type of blood work on both super soldiers, and one unnamed female. Banner was beyond careful, the kid hadn’t gotten much information, but it was enough. He’d also sent back precious intel on the encryption protecting the Avengers email systems. Hacking them all would have proved impossible...but they only needed to hack one long enough to send a single email.

Recapturing their Asset had proved simple after that. Once they had him back it became a bit more complicated. The original words used to ensure his compliance had been rendered useless. In addition, he’d been outfitted with a new arm while he was in Wakanda. The tech was unlike anything they’d ever managed to create at Hydra. The prosthetic was lighter, and more agile as well, less an advanced piece of machinery, as it was a part of the man attached to it. It proved some serious problems as well, when they discovered that the changes to it meant they were unable to use it to control Bucky by electrocuting him into submission as they had with the original. 

Despite this drawback, the advancements in tech were intriguing to the scientist, and he’d wasted precious time attempting to determine how it worked. Now this unknown girl was here, interfering with his plans before he had time to prep and wipe the Winter Soldier. That meant the reset was going to be a bit more...messy. 

Hydra had always had a plan B in case the usual words lost their effectiveness, or were somehow disarmed. It wasn’t quite as concrete as the first layer, but it was enough to get him back, to make him compliant for what they needed. A single word, Sputnik. It wouldn’t hold him for as long as the first, but the scientist believed time was on his side. The man had just shot the Asset up with a far more powerful stimulant than they ever had previously. Bucky would go into a full-out rut cycle within the half-hour, and if the conversation between this girl and the soldier were any indication...they may have just the right Omega as well. It did make the three waiting Omegas in the next room a moot point, but having the _real_ Omega was so much better. 

Not only that, but her powers were an added benefit Hydra hadn’t counted on. She’d be a formidable weapon in their arsenal once she was wiped and reset. There was also the possibility of enhanced offspring to consider, talented, deadly children who were indoctrinated into Hydra from their very first breath. The scientist vaguely wondered if Darcy would respond to the same stimulants that had been given to Bucky. 

Darcy’s vision, which was already tinted shades of red, went straight up magenta when she saw what was in the man’s mind. The fuckwad was about to find out what happened when he threatened and hurt people she loved. Bucky was _hers_. Steve was hers. And their children...dear god, their children...a ripple of concentrated hatred for the scientist so thick she could taste it rolled through her at the thought of him being anywhere near their children. Those future babies were hers as well. Hers, and Bucky’s, and Steve’s. Hydra wasn’t fucking touching them.

She bent the man’s head towards her, forcing him to see her even more clearly. _“You can’t have Bucky,”_ she spoke in his mind. _“And those bitches in the next room can’t have him either. He’s **mine**. Already marked me and everything, all on his own, made the decision for his own damn self, you fucking piece of shit. You can’t have me either, or Steve, and you sure as hell won’t have our children. I’ll see you dead first. You and the rest of your vile organization. I’d kill you all before I'd let that happen...and I'd enjoy it.” _

The man’s lips curled in hatred. “That’s where you’re wrong. You need me. You’ll never get him out of that chair without my help,” he rasped. 

Darcy stood back and off her tip-toes with a bounce. “And that’s where _you’re_ wrong,” she said, out loud. “That code was the first thing I pulled from your sorry little mind. 22-56-78-45? Does that ring a bell?” 

And in that moment he knew anything he had to offer, any type of usefulness to her that might prolong his life, was long over. 

“Hail Hy—”

Darcy instantly froze his ability to speak along with the rest of him. “Sorry, but I’m honestly just so over hearing that stupid slogan at this point. And by the way, your logo doesn’t even look like a hydra, it looks like an idiotic octopus with the wrong number of legs. Which one of you brainless fuckwits came up with that? I mean, my god, check an encyclopedia, or google, or even try asking someone else for a description before you all start saluting the least accurate interpretation of a mythological beast I’ve ever seen. It's supposed to be nine heads, you pathetic, ignorant, douchecanoe. Not one head and six legs. You know what? I don't know why I'm wasting my time talking to you. It's not like you'll be around to tell anyone anyway, and frankly, I’m beyond tired of Hydra’s shit.”

Tirade over, she glanced back at Bucky. Seeing the shame and brokenness on his face brought everything she’d just witnessed back to the forefront of her mind like gaping wound, still bleeding. The pain, the inhumane treatment, the degradation he’d been through. It was crippling. 

Darcy looked at Bucky, _really_ looked, and realized that perhaps she was only seeing him for the first time. All of him. Laid bare. She knew he’d been through hell and back, but really witnessing it, really seeing every ring of the inferno they put him through, how he wasn’t even allowed to be a person, with thoughts and opinions, with soverence over his own body…it made a fire burn in her heart and in her soul. And it was in a way that she’d never experienced before, because she recognized something that up to that moment, she had not. She loved Bucky. _Loved_ him. 

It was the kind of love her mother spoke of when she first arrived back to New York. The love of an equal, a consort, a true partnership. Love. The great adventure. Not the kind they played at while on missions. A love that changes you in ways you never thought possible. 

Bucky locked eyes with her, and the look he was giving her back, it wasn’t one of love, although that was there. But it was one of fear. He was terrified of what she must have seen. And he knew that she wouldn’t want anything to do with him now. He felt it in his bones, and his skin. How could anyone love a man who would do such things. Perhaps he didn’t have a choice, but they were still his actions. And she’d seen it. He thought it was all over. He and Steve had lost her forever, and it was all his fault. 

A tear spilled onto Darcy’s cheek, and cold fury filled every cell of her body. She turned back to the scientist in his stupid bow-tie, a pointlessly humanizing accessory for someone with no humanity. He was still frozen with his arm extended, as if holding a gun despite his empty hand. He looked ridiculous and she hated him. Hated him for making Bucky feel as if he could never be loved, didn’t deserve to be loved. For making him feel like he’d ruined not only his tiny chance at it, but Steve’s as well. 

The man had played around with Bucky as if he were not a human being, but a possession, a machine to be upgraded, rebooted, wiped and experimented on. Darcy knew as long as he was alive, he’d never stop at trying to get back the “Asset” he’d worked so hard to perfect. He’d never rest until he regained control of his favorite toy. 

After reading his innermost thoughts, Darcy knew there was no way in hell she was letting that happen. And ending him was going to feel _good_.

She held out her hand once more, for concentration, but this time she slowly made a fist. Back when she was still learning to control her powers, she had learned that when you froze a person, you couldn’t freeze all of them, or it would result in death. Certain things had to be left alone. The nervous system, the lungs, the brain…the heart. 

For the first time in her life, Darcy purposefully went to that dark place she discovered when she was younger, the part that took pleasure in vengance. She touched that shadowy point at the center of her, and for one brief moment, channeled all that vengeance into the man standing before her.

Fear filled his eyes as he realized what was happening, as she drug it out, trying to make his last moments as painful and terrifying as possible. Darcy relished the last, gasping flicker of panic she saw there as he went into cardiac arrest, and felt a thrill as all of him froze for good. His eyes were empty now, glazed and dull. A sense of dark triumph washed over her. She released the hold she had on the rest of his body, and he slumped to the ground in an undignified heap, not a single drop of life left to animate his limbs, or to catch his fall. 

"Hail idiotic octopus," she said derisively, staring down at his crumpled form. 

“Darcy,” Bucky’s quiet voice echoed behind her. “What did you do?” 

It took several deep breaths before Darcy found the words to answer. She didn’t look at him, just stood with her fist still clenched. “I froze his heart.” 

“I see... That something you’ve done before?” 

Darcy turned to face him this time. “Yes. Once. Does that scare you?” 

He shook his head without hesitation, hair tumbling onto his forehead. “No.” He then licked his lips nervously. “What, uh, what did you see when you read his mind?” 

“I saw everything. Everything they’d ever done to you. Everything they made you do. All of it.” 

“That scare you?” 

“No.” 

Bucky closed his eyes. “I don’t… I don’t even see how that’s possible now.” 

Darcy marched over to him and climbed into his lap, pushing the hair out of his eyes. He stared at her, seemingly shocked by her actions. “Listen,” she commanded. “I came here for you. I killed him _for you_. For all of us. Nothing I saw in his head changes how I feel about you. You. Are. Mine. There is no where you could go, nothing you could do or have done, that can come between us. No matter where you were on this planet, if you needed me, I would run to you. I would walk into the sun for you. All three of us would do that for the other. I know that now. Nothing could change that.” 

His eyes softened, became a bit watery, but he still didn’t look convinced. 

She reached over and began to punch numbers in a pad attached to his chair, in order to release him. 

“Don’t,” he warned, fear in his voice. His arms began to shake and she noticed a needle in a vein on his hand, hooked up to an IV. “Darcy, you can’t release me.”

Darcy immediately froze. “Why?” 

“They shot me up full of stimulants, and they’re different than before. I don’t know how, but I can feel it. I don’t trust myself right now. And neither should you.” 

She frowned, having none of it. “Have you learned nothing? I have the ability to…well, granted now that you’ve seen my full abilities, I understand why you wouldn’t want me to freeze you.” 

“It’s not that.” 

Darcy looked down. “Hey, I understand.” 

“No, it’s not that. I don’t want you to have to do it. I couldn’t bear it. To know that you feared me enough to resort to that. I don’t think I could live with myself if it came down to that, and I’m barely able to live with myself as it is. Please. Just wait until someone else can come in here. Or until my system is clear again.” 

“Wade is just outside, but he’s not coming in here until I tell him to. You’re in serious pain right now, and it’s getting worse. I can tell that you’re fighting it, but you can’t fool me.” 

Bucky closed his eyes, and set his jaw in a firm line. “Don’t. You saw… Darce, you saw everything.” 

“Goddamn it, Bucky. What do I have to say to convince you? That I’m fine. You are not a danger to me. That I am not afraid. And…” She took a deep breath. “That I fucking love you.” 

His eyes flew open, voice shaking with disbelief. “What?” 

“I love you,” she repeated. “I’m tired of fighting it, and making excuses why we should go slow, and waiting for something that’s already fucking happened. You and Steve are my Alphas, and have been since the first time I saw you guys. I love you.”

“How is that possible? Now that you know what I’ve done. I’m not who you thought I was, Darcy.”

“Actually, you’re exactly who I thought you were. All those Omegas? You tried to save them, Bucky. You did what you could. You are not responsible for Hydra’s bullshit. You aren’t responsible for that asshole on the floor over there, or Pierce, or Zola, or any of it. If it makes you feel better, though, you aren’t the only one who has a past they’re still living down. I’ve got my own demons.” She paused for a moment, hands reaching up to gently cup his jaw. “Would it help if I showed you?”

He was still pulling away from her slightly, eyes guarded. “Showed me what?”

“I’ve seen your everything. It seems only fair that you see mine. If you choose to witness it. I...here… I’m just going to open up. You can decide what you want to see or not see.” 

Darcy’s mind then touched his, and she granted him entrance. He immediately took it, choosing to see everything. To see it all. 

Bucky was suddenly taken years back. He saw the first time that Emma discovered Darcy’s full abilities, during a walk in the woods of her family’s property in upstate New York. He wasn’t sure how young Darcy was, but judging by the size she appeared to be in the memory, she was very young...maybe three or four. She’d wandered off the path, and Bucky could hear Emma’s panicked voice calling her name, along with mischievous giggling as Darcy ran further away. Then there was the loud rapport of a gunshot. Bucky automatically tensed, all his concern focused on toddler Darcy on her own in the woods. She began to run, her memories pulling him along with her until she stepped into a small clearing, and let out a frightened wail. There on the ground was a helpless doe, shot through the neck and struggling for air. Bucky could sense Darcy’s horror as she approached the dying animal. She dropped down beside it, small hands spread out on the copper colored fur, trying desperately to help, but it was too late. All Darcy could do was cry as she felt every ounce of life draining out of the poor animal. 

A twig snapped nearby, and the little girl looked up to see the hunter responsible. “Hey, kid! What are you doing? That deer could be dangerous!” he yelled at her, footsteps crunching through the fallen leaves as he rushed forward to pull her away.

Darcy’s sorrow turned into pure fury as she made the connection between the gun in his hand, and the doe on the ground. She waited quietly until he came close enough for her to reach, and then snatched at his wrist, holding it tight, and forcing him to feel the agonized death throes of the deer. 

“What the hell? Kid… What… What _are_ you?” He tried to pull his hand away, and she froze him where he stood, his shotgun falling from his rigid fingers. 

“You did this,” she said, childish voice low and angry. “You hurt her.” She squeezed his wrist tighter, letting her power loose with her anger, and shutting his organs down one by one. 

Emma appeared at the edge of the clearing then, taking in the situation in a heartbeat, and racing over to Darcy’s side. She gently laid her fingers over her daughter’s, and spoke in a soothing voice. “Darcy, sweetheart, I’m here. I’m going to make it all better. You can let go of him now.” At the sound of Emma’s voice, the little girl released the hunter, and grabbed her mother’s hand, communicating through telepathy all the pain and fear she couldn’t yet convey through words. 

“I know,” Emma said. “Oh Darcy, I know. We can help her. Both of us, together, okay?”

Emma laid her free hand on the doe, channeling Darcy’s energy for her. Freezing the doe’s heart and giving it peace. She also broke the mental hold her daughter still had on the hunter, who fell to his knees in pain and fear, looking at her little girl with terrified revulsion. Bucky could sense Emma’s fears through the connect she had with her daughter. She was certain the hunter would tell everyone he knew what happened that day, and the humans would come for her child. That couldn’t happen, and Emma would do anything to prevent it. 

Darcy was never really sure what her mom did to the man that day. Only that she mindfucked him so well, he had no memory of what happened. She also suspected that his brains had been so melted, he’d have to eat his meals through a tube for the rest of his life. 

The memories continued through the aftermath of the incident in the woods. The emotions from that day were too much Darcy, leaving her inconsolable, her nights filled with nightmares from which she would wake up screaming every night. She became quiet and withdrawn, empty of the joy and curiosity that children find with the world. 

Emma was at a loss. She finally decided it was time for Darcy to meet her father, believing it would be good for both of them. Both were hurting, as Tony had just lost his parents. Emma wasn’t sure that she ever wanted him in her life again, but the two of them obviously needed something more. Darcy was hiding in the pantry when she heard her mother finally make the call to initiate contact between father and daughter for the first time.

On the day Darcy was to meet her father, the little girl insisted on a gift to give to him. On the way, she’d planted her feet in front of a store window, pointing to a display in a fancy bakery. It was a meticulously made vanilla bean cupcake, something meant for a boy’s birthday, with silver-painted fondant nuts and bolts gracing the top. Tony had tears in his eyes when Darcy presented it to him. It became a thing with them. He’d give her a cupcake for every special moment or even sometimes terrible moments, in her life, to remind her that she had people on her side. And that amazing things can happen when you least expect it. 

Emma insisted that her daughter should be thoroughly trained, to learn to control her abilities, but Tony would always argue for her, that she be allowed to go at her own pace. They struck a balance. Darcy didn’t want to go to Xavier’s, but she would allow private instruction. She wanted to be as normal as possible, wanted to forget about her abilities, except for the few times she let her mother convince her to spend a day here or a day there with Charles. And the man tried, he really did try to make her see that she had nothing to be ashamed of…but Darcy could never escape the feeling of death she experienced at such a young age. She still sometimes woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath and struggling, just like the doe from years before. The knowledge that she had the ability to make someone feel exactly like that, to give them a terrifying death, almost as easily as it was to open and close her eyes made her sick. She hated her powers, and hated herself for having them. 

But after awhile, she couldn’t run from it any longer. It was made clear at her old human school, when she accidentally used her powers on a bully, that she needed to be properly trained, and Xavier’s would give that to her. She would be with people just like her, but then she had to finally admit to herself that she was also just like them. She ended up finding a certain peace there, but it was also grueling and painful. She was made to push herself to the very limits, in order to discover the exact span of her abilities, so that she could fully control them. So that there would never again be any surprises. But even then, only a handful of people knew she could stop a person’s heart with her mind. Only Emma, Tony, and Charles himself. Eventually, Wade came to find out as well, as he witnessed it firsthand. She was on a mission led by Storm, and he happened to be on the job, had his own reasons for joining, as he wasn’t an official member of the X-Men. He was a mercenary, working the jobs he saw fit to work for his own reasons. One of Darcy’s classmates was about to get himself vaporized on this particular mission, so she permanently froze his assailant's heart before he could inevitably kill her friend. Wade saw the fear in her eyes after she’d done it and saved her, running the dead man’s body through with his katana, before anyone could put together what actually happened, and claiming the kill for himself. Though the thing that scared her most from that mission, wasn’t the fact that she ended a life, but at how good it had felt to do it. The satisfaction it had given her to make one of the bad guys meet his end. 

Shortly after, Darcy left Xavier’s to explore the rite of passage known as college, but she also made fast friends with Wade, and joining him for his own missions every once in awhile. It was different, working with him. He never once judged. The others at the school were all just like her, but not many of them could actually freeze a person’s heart. They would still fear her if they knew, and the longer she stayed with the X-Men, the sooner they’d all find out somehow, on one mission or another. Perhaps she never gave them enough of a chance, but she felt exhausted by the thought of testing it. She’d made her peace with her abilities, and went for trying to explore her options, even eventually deciding to wander around in the desert for a semester with Jane Foster, to get away from it all. Try for “normal”, whatever that meant. 

But then she literally ran into an alien, who happened to be an ancient Viking deity named Thor. 

Darcy lifted her forehead from Bucky’s, breaking the connection. All the psychic work was beginning to take its toll, and if she continued, she’d become too exhausted to be of much use to anyone. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I have to take a break.” 

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to show me anymore, doll.” He struggled briefly against his restraints, and then shook his head. “Damn, I wish I could get my arms around you.” 

She could feel her body relax, relieved that he wasn’t now scared shitless of her. “You can, Bucky. Just… Hold on,” she said, touching two fingers to her ear. “Wade? I’m turning you guys off for a little while, signal if any Hydra reinforcements show up.” 

“Sure thing, Kitty-cat. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Like the missionary position.” Darcy then blushed and turned the earpiece off before he could say anything else. 

Bucky narrowed his eyes. “What missionary position? What’s he talking about?” 

“You heard that?” she asked, and he nodded. Darcy bit her lip, wondering how she was going to explain the rest of her plan, and what they needed to do. “Bucky, we both know we’re not getting you out of here unbonded. You’re going into rut.” 

“What?! No! I can handle it. What about Steve? We agreed to be together. All three of us.” 

“Steve knows already. He said...” She stopped, shifting in Bucky’s lap, and eliciting a low growl. “He said do whatever it takes to get you out safe, that includes us bonding.” 

“Good for Steve, but he has no idea what he’s talking about!” he cried, almost out of breath, “Those aren’t vitamins in that IV bag, doll. Your scent is already driving me crazy, and I know how this goes already. I’m not even going to be able to think straight in a few minutes when the stimulants really kick in.”

“So let them kick in. I can handle it,” Darcy replied.

“What if I can’t?” Bucky responded. “Darce, I’m still coherent right now, but any minute my hormones are gonna peak with you in the room. I don’t trust myself around you under these drugs, you don’t understand what they do. Please,” he begged, as his hips began to thrust up and into hers. She realized that he was hard as a rock underneath her, through the layers of their clothing. His head fell back and he moaned. 

She began to wonder if his “please” meant to please leave, or please help him relieve the increasing pain, as his breathing was getting heavier, his limbs beginning to shake. 

“Bucky, you’re in pain, I can see it, even though you’re trying your damndest to hide exactly how bad it is. You’re in, like, a LOT of fucking pain.” 

“I’m used to pain. I can take pain,” he growled. 

“But you don’t have to! Let me. Let me help my Alpha. You would want to do the same for me.” 

Bucky’s hands, still strapped in, balled into fists, and there was a low rumble in his chest. “Darcy. It's not that I don't want this, I do. Been wantin’ it since the first time I saw you, no scratch that… since the first time I heard your voice on the coms, when you saved all our asses. I want this more than you could know, and that ain't the drugs talking. I just want this to be perfect for you, you deserve that. This isn’t how it should be. Not with me in rut. It wouldn’t be… I can’t be gentle. Not right now.” 

“Well, what if I don’t want it to be?” 

“What do you mean?” 

Darcy’s eyes darkened. “It’s been awhile, and I’d forgotten how a successful mission feels just afterwards. How you might need to blow off some steam, engage in something a little life-affirming.” 

“Like what?” 

She put her forehead back to his. “Like a good hard fuck.” 

He growled, his muscles straining again at the cuffs holding his arms down, and his breathing became more labored than it already was, his chest heaving. “Press the damn buttons,” he commanded. 

“Is that you consenting?” she teased.

Bucky looked as incredulous as a man who was trying to rip through metal restraints to get his hands on his bondmate could look. “Jesus, what a fucking question. Yeah, Darcy, I consent. Now, let. Me. Out.”

“Okay, but first…” 

He gave a frustrated cry. “What!” 

“Sorry, not sorry, Bucky, but before we bond, you have to promise me that you won’t Alpha-voice me again like you tried to do back there. Not like back in Central Park when I was into it, but trying to make me do something I really don’t want to do. Because I think I’m done proving to you that I can take care of myself.” 

Bucky groaned, skin starting to flush all over as he shook in the restraints. It seemed as if it took every ounce of strength he had left to answer her with clarity. “I promise you. Never again. I know you can take care of yourself. I knew it when you walked in here, but my protective instincts were barely letting me see straight with you facing down the barrel of a gun. I was helpless. Strapped to this goddamn chair. The thought of you being hurt was ripping me apart. Ordering you out was the only thing I had left. I couldn't survive something happening to you because of me.” 

Her heart clenched at his words. “Bucky…” 

"Darcy. Set me free."

Without another word, she reached over, punched in the code, and suddenly he was released. Bucky's arms were instantly around her, one hand lifting her hair away from her neck. Then she felt his lips at her throat, and heard him breathing her in. “Before we do this, I want you to know that I love you, too. More than I could ever say or put into words. And nothing about you could ever make me fear you, or turn my back on you. Nothing. Not now. Not ever.”

“Same.” 

Darcy only had about a second to swoon over their declarations, however, as she began to hear the sound of clothing being shredded, and realized that it was hers. She glanced up, eyes meeting his, and her entire body responded to the feral growl that ripped through his body.

Bucky grinned, Alpha canines on full display, and said, "Oh doll, you're in trouble now."


	12. Irresistible Cravings Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is pretty much nothing but pure bonding smut. (and we find out just what Wade carries in his utility belt, so there's that)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo. You might not want to read this at work. Things are about to get all A/B/O Bow Chicka Bow Bow up in this fic. That means growly, and bitey, and you know...the _other_ thing that normally happens during A/B/O smut. It's a little intense. (Seriously, it required its own playlist of super trashy rock, like Howling for You by the Black Keys, and Good Girls by Elle King. So yeah.) Anyway, here is all the smut, and the next chapter will be all the fluff...also with smut, because let's face it, it's about damn time for some nesty goodness after all this.
> 
> ***********************************************************

_"Oh doll, you're in trouble now."_

Truer words had never been spoken. Darcy could see it in Bucky’s singular focus on her as he stood up, setting her down in front of him, and taking in the ruined state of her shredded tac shirt. He’d torn it straight down the front, scraps of fabric still dangling from his fist. She took a step back despite her assurances to him that she wasn’t afraid. Well, fine. She took several steps back, but who’s counting?

It wasn’t fear. Not exactly, but a full body shiver ran through her when he started to advance in her direction. This wasn’t the playful, teasing Bucky she’d gotten to know back at the tower. Nope. Darcy was being stalked by a six foot tall Alpha in full rut, with the express purpose of him ripping off the _rest_ of her clothes so he could bond with her on the nearest flat surface. Not that she couldn’t handle him. She could, and she would if it came down to it, but even with that knowledge, Darcy felt that a girl couldn’t be faulted for feeling a little...nervous.

Nervous and turned on, she thought, licking her lips. It was actually a little fucked up how much she was getting off on seeing him like this. All her Omega instincts were pushing up to the surface, fighting to overwhelm her normal control over them. Darcy could feel a pink flush heating up her skin coupled by a slick wetness between her legs, her body’s instinctive response to the Alpha hunger in his eyes.

She kept backing up, each step mirrored by one of his, until she bumped into something solid that she thought was the desk laden with medical equipment and papers she’d seen on her way in. Bucky’s nostrils flared, smile curling up his lips again when he saw she had nowhere else to go. 

He reached for her, but his arm was pulled up short by the IV line which was still attached. With an impatient jerk, he yanked it free, the plastic tube and catheter rebounding behind him, and clattering to the floor. A thin line of red ran down his arm from the injection site. Bucky didn’t even appear to notice, gaze still locked on her face.

Eyes wide, Darcy watched the last inch of space between them evaporate as he invaded it. His chest was flush with hers, muscles firm and unyielding behind the thin cotton t-shirt, and button down he was wearing. The scent of dirtysexycookies was permeating the air all around her, making it hard for her to think straight.

“Hey,” she said, swallowing hard.

He didn’t respond, just reached around her and shoved everything off the surface of the desk. Papers swished through the air. Metal and glass crashed to the ground. She could hear it crunching under his boots when he widened his stance so his legs framed hers in. A low rumble began in his chest, and Bucky leaned forward, nose skimming the the side of her neck. 

It was as if the sound and sensation flipped some kind of biological light switch for Darcy. There was a moment where her need to hold her own clashed with the urge to submit, but she decided there was no point of fighting it really, when bonding was endgame for them both. Without another thought, she tilted her head to bare her neck to him. Bucky’s rumble turned into a growl of satisfaction as he licked hot line up her throat.

“So sweet,” he murmured. “So sweet for me. You sweet for me anywhere else?”

“I…” Darcy started to say, but a ripping sound had her sucking in a sharp breath instead, when he took the side of her tac pants in both hands, and tore them apart down the seam of one leg.

His fingers caressed over the exposed skin, traveling up and over her hip where they wound into the waistband of her panties. Stitches began to snap one by one as he twisted his wrist. She could feel each one go, the tug and pinch making her gasp. A brief thought for what she was actually going to wear when this was over skittered through her overheated brain. Her worry about that died a quick death when Bucky slid his hand into her ruined underwear. 

The calloused pads of his fingers rolled over her clit. Knees shaking, Darcy arched into his touch. His fingers moved lower, one and then the other slipping up inside her. 

“Darcy,” he said hoarsely, and she could see him fighting against the stimulants and Alpha haze so he could tell her what he needed to say. “You’re sure about this? About me? You still have time. You could… You could freeze me. Let Wade carry me out.”

His fingers were still inside her as he spoke, and it was all Darcy could do to keep from fucking them as she said, “I’ve never been more sure about anything. I want you. I… I want you inside me...want your teeth…” She faltered then, whimpering with the fierce rush of need that flooded her when she imagined his canines locking onto her throat.

“You want my teeth where?” When she didn’t answer, Bucky used his free hand to tilt her chin up so she was looking at him. “Want my teeth _where_ , doll?”

Darcy answered by touching the pulse point in her neck. She could feel it fluttering in time with the hammering beat of her heart. He let out a shuddering exhale, lips parting enough so that she could see the teeth in question glinting behind them. 

“Say it. Out loud, Darcy.”

His voice was bordering on Alpha tone, and she could see the strain of holding back written all over his face. _She’d_ done that, Darcy realized. She’d asked him not to use it on her again without permission, and even with the drugs coursing through his veins and bringing him to the brink of rut, Bucky was respecting her request.

She loved him for it, but it was the complete opposite of what she wanted in that moment. So Darcy leaned forward, lips close enough to his that she could taste his breath, and said two words.

“Make me.”

The words had barely left her mouth when she found herself spun around, palms flat on the smooth expanse of the desk, and Bucky pressing all along her back with his fingers digging into her hips. She was still registering what had happened when the air was filled with the sound fabric shredding as he tore the rest of her clothes straight off her body. 

“Fuck,” she whispered. Her body stung where her tac uniform and bra had clung to her before giving way under the force of Bucky’s prosthetic. 

He caught her hair in his hand, drawing it away to hang down over one shoulder so it grazed the desk. “I asked you a question, doll,” he said, vibrations tickling her ear as he spoke. 

His fingers were back inside her, curling in a way that made her grind down in his hand. Her clit rubbed against the heel of his palm, and she moaned. It was so good, but not near enough to satisfy her. She wanted his teeth in her neck, and his cock... Another moan escaped her lips as she thought about what it would feel like to finally have him inside her. Filling her up the way only an Alpha could. Taking her. Making her his…

“ **Answer me**.” There was no mistaking the Alpha voice this time. 

A tremor passed through her, followed by a scorching bolt of need. Hot flush licked over her skin from head to toe. “My throat. I want them in my throat, bonding me.”

The purr of approval from Bucky set off another rush of wetness between her legs. “Gonna make you mine, doll. All mine.”

His fingers abruptly pulled free of her Darcy clenched her thighs together with a needy sound of protest. She turned her head to look at him, ready to beg him to put them back if that’s what it took. That’s when she saw he’d only done it so he could suck the taste of her off his fingers. 

A soft, _damn_ , fell from her lips, and she turned back around, eyes skipping over the patterns in the wood grain on the top of the desk, and knees shaking.

Apparently a taste wasn’t enough. Darcy felt him moving, heard the sound of glass being crushed under Bucky’s feet again. His hands closed over her ankles and the boots she was still wearing...Jesus fucking Christ, how had she not noticed that until just now?, Darcy wondered...and jerked her legs further apart. His hot breath hit one of her thighs seconds before his mouth did, nipping and licking its way up the back of her leg. She leaned onto her elbows, shamelessly giving him better access to where she wanted him most, and was immediately rewarded with the warm, wet drag of his tongue between her legs.

He didn’t stay for long though, just enough to get her so worked up that she was shaking with need for him when he stopped. Bucky sat back on his heels, placing a kiss at the base of her spine before standing so he could run his tongue straight up to the back of her neck. He curved over her, chest against her back, hoarse breathing echoing in her ears. There was the muted sound of him unbuttoning his pants, and then a zip being lowered. Metal fingers wrapped around her left hip, one by one. Darcy’s nails bit into the desk in anticipation of what she knew was coming.

“I’m gonna need you to talk to me, doll. Tell me if I get too rough, or if it’s too much. Because once I’m inside you, I don’t know how much thinking I’m gonna be doing.”

She lifted one hand up, reaching back so she could lay the palm against his face. Then, as slowly as she could, so he had time to pull away, she opened her mind to him. “How’s this?”

“Jesus.” Bucky’s fingers tightened on her flesh as all the urgency and need she was feeling for him flooded the connection. 

To her shock, Darcy felt him dropping the wall on his end. It was tentative at first, and then everything he was feeling thundered back across the link with a force that left her gasping. He shut it down immediately, and she shook her head, desperate to get the connection back. “Don’t. I want you there. It was good.”

“You sure?”

She nodded sharply, and there he was again, touching her mind with his own. His desire melded with hers in a frantic surge, echoing back and forth between them. Bucky rolled his hips against hers, cock slipping tantalizing through her folds for a half-second as he lined himself up. A deep growl broke free from his throat as he pushed inside. Darcy could sense him through their mental connection, could feel him struggling to go slow and give her time to adjust.

For a moment her body resisted, closing down tight around him. She tried to let go, relax, but it wasn’t working. One of his hands came around her body, pulling her up against him so she felt secure. He nipped at her ear, laving over the spot with his tongue, and murmured, “Let me in, Darcy.”

His tone was soft, but it was also a direct order. Something inside her immediately shifted, and he slid home with a thrust that made them both moan. Bucky took the palm she still had resting against his face, and kissed it before setting it down on the desk, so she could brace herself. It was a good thing he did. His first stroke into her body made the wood and metal creak in protest. The second shoved it forward with a loud screech. He slammed his free hand down on it to hold it steady. 

Desk stabilized, Bucky withdrew until the head of his cock was just barely inside her, and then snapped his hips forward again. They both exhaled, Darcy’s ending in a broken whimper. He just felt so _fucking_ good. She’d been with an Alpha or two when curiosity to see what the fuss was about had gotten the better of her, but none of them had been Bucky. It was like the two of them were made for each other, her body responding to the stretch and pull of his thrusts like it hadn’t for anyone else. 

It was the same for him. Darcy could sense it in the mix of frenzy and relief coming through their connection with every shift of his body inside hers. She found herself pushing back to increase the driving force of his strokes. 

His hand on her hip urged her on, and she cried out when he hit a spot that left her gasping with how incredible it felt, and then hit it again. Her teeth pressed into her bottom lip, eyes closing in ecstasy. It was almost too much, a little bit of pain edging every burst of pleasure. God, but she needed more. Needed him, _all_ of him.

“Can you...can you feel that?” she asked, twisting around just enough that she could see his face.

“I feel it,” he responded. 

“Bucky…” She was close to begging, and she knew it, but none of that mattered. Not now when her whole body was on fire for him, and desperate for him to finish what they’d started. “I can’t wait. I never...never felt like this. _Please_. Please, Bucky. It’s too much.”

“I know. I know, doll, believe me. I want it too. Bad.” 

Urgency rocked through her with his admission, making her even more frantic for him to complete the bond. “Hurry,” she whispered. “Please, hurry. I need it.”

He shuddered all over, rattling the desk. “Don’t think waiting is gonna be a problem,” he rasped. “Jesus, sweetheart, come here.”

His mouth met hers in a greedy kiss. The taste of her was still on his tongue, along with the tang of Alpha in rut tinged with something she recognized as being specific to Bucky alone. Darcy wanted to lose herself in it, let it wash over her, take everything about him into her and hold him there forever. 

Bucky made a low, strangled sound as those feelings transferred across their link, pulling away from the kiss with his lips still parted. Both hands clutched her hips, jerking her back as he buried himself as far as he could go. For a single beat of her heart their eyes met, and then his teeth were on her throat, piercing the skin as his cock began to swell inside her. 

The raw sensations rocked Darcy to her core. There was no warning, no moment of clarity, or pinnacle to be reached before it began, just an acute flood of pleasure that whited out her vision and consumed everything in its path. She gasped, grinding back into him. Her muscles rippled around his thickening erection, making Bucky hiss. His hips stuttered once, then went still, pressed up against her so close she could feel his chest expanding with every harsh breath he took while he came, fierce and hot inside her. 

She shivered as the layers of their newly forged bond wound between them. Each piece fell into place one by one, forging an indelible link between them far stronger than anything she’d felt before. Darcy’s telepathic powers surged into the bond, twining effortlessly through it as both of them were laid bare to each other. 

She tested it, delicately touching the bond with her mind, only to discover Bucky doing the same. A bubble of happy laughter welled up in her, spilling out before she could stop it. Bucky’s teeth withdrew, tongue scraping over the bite mark as his joy spilled across their connection.

Darcy traced along the length of the bond again. It was strong, dynamic, a living thing in its own right even though it was incomplete. There was an empty space remaining. A place left open for Steve, but she and Bucky were well and truly joined, and it felt...it felt…

Something deep inside flared up, struggling to get free. Darcy dropped the bond in shock as she reeled from a primal instinct so powerful and overwhelming that it took her a second to understand what was happening. 

She didn’t know if it was the drugs, or the rut, or maybe just their bond, but one thing Darcy did know for sure was this: Bucky was triggering her heat, and it was the absolute last thing they needed. With all their carefully constructed strategy for his rescue, the one thing she hadn’t planned for was this. Mostly because Erik Lehnsherr had sworn it was impossible. Clearly, Erik had no experience with the type of situation Darcy was dealing with right now. All she knew was that he’d been wrong, and what was happening was beyond dangerous. Getting trapped on a Hydra stronghold while her cycle ran its course was not something Darcy wanted to explore.

She concentrated all her mental capabilities into holding it at bay, the strain making her shake all over. Bucky, even in the throes of rut and bonding, could tell that something was wrong. Darcy had shut off the mental link between them, even tamped down on the bond as much as she could to keep it from distracting her. Despite that, she was still walking a razor’s edge. 

“How much time do we have?” he asked, obviously guessing what was happening. “Darce?”

“Without suppressants? No idea. I’m holding it off right now. We need to get to the quinjet as soon as possible. I know that. God. Bucky, what are we going to do?”

“We’re gonna do whatever we have to. Just...just give me a second. I’ve gotta…”

He went silent. She could hear his teeth gritting as he worked to control his knot. Darcy wasn’t sure how he did it, but the swelling began to go down in seconds. With a muffled groan, Bucky pulled out. She turned, clamping her thighs together in an attempt to prevent the inevitable mess.

She was wet, and sticky, going into heat...and totally naked. Wet and sticky could be dealt with. Going into heat _had_ to be dealt with, but naked? Naked was a posing a big problem that seemed to have no remedy. The clothes she’d walked in with were currently in tatters on the floor tiles. Once he was done zipping up his pants, Bucky seemed to realize that too. He looked at her, then at scraps of fabric littering the ground at their feet, and raked a hand through his hair.

“So, getting me out of here is going to be super-fun,” Darcy said. “All sexed up, halfway into heat, and completely nude. I can hear Wade’s commentary already.”

The corner of Bucky’s mouth twitched as he glanced at her naked form. “I want to apologize. I know I should, but uh...I also want to keep looking at you.”

“Alpha thing?” she surmised.

“You’re _mine_ ,” he replied. “My Omega.” A full smile blossomed on his face, buoyant and loving. Then he cocked his head, bright smile shifting into something far more possessive. “I’d murder anyone else who looked at you, though. So yeah, we’d better find you something to wear.”

The comm on her wrist suddenly came to life, and Wade’s voice crackled through the speakers, calm and welcoming. “Everything okay in there, Kitty-kat? Because, no offense, but it’s starting to smell like a flower garden full of cookies out here. You aren’t going into heat, are you? I’m thinking that would be a bad thing considering we’re on a fucking _HYDRA BASE_ in the middle of West Bumblefuck New Jersey.”

“It’s only a bad thing if you tell me you don’t have suppressants in your utility belt,” she answered. “And I’m pretty sure this is East Bumblefuck. West Bumblefuck is near Trenton. But back to suppressants. Wade, help me out here.”

His response was less than helpful. “ _Shit_! Uh, I can check if I have one left, but I had to use them before I picked you up the other night for reasons pertaining to Thor and his goddamn perfect Asgardian abs. You know how it is. Actually, you don’t. Well you didn’t. I bet you do now. Tell me, are Bucky’s abs as six packy as I think they are? I’m picturing Tom Hardy crossed with a young Marky Mark during his Funky Bunch Days. It’s such a good sensation, right? Remember that?”

He started humming the goddamn song, and Darcy considered freezing him just to shut him up. “Wade! Focus on finding the suppressants!”

There was a long pause where she assumed he was looking by the rustling noises coming through the comm. Bucky stripped out of his button down while they were waiting. He held it out to her, and Darcy took it, shoving her arms into the sleeves. It barely skimmed the tops of her thighs, but at least it was something. She was just finishing with the buttons when the comm crackled again, and Wade said, “Please tell me you’ve got a plan B.”

Bucky grabbed Darcy’s wrist, pulling the comm up to his mouth. “Fire up the quinjet. We’re getting her the hell out of here.”

“Good plan B,” Wade replied. “Natasha did you hear that?”

“On it,” she said. “How many are we?”

Darcy could hear the unasked implications behind the question. There were still three Omegas in the other room to be dealt with.

“Sorry, Red. All HYDRA,” Wade said. “Bea and Arthur didn’t take very kindly to that.”

“Good to know. I never liked full flights anyway. Wanda, we’re regrouping at the quinjet. Takeoff in five.”

“Roger that. On my way.”

The comm went quiet. Bucky was striding purposefully around the room, ripping open drawers and dumping their contents onto the floor. Darcy assumed he was searching for something else for her to wear without much luck. There were paper masks and surgical caps in one cabinet, but that was pretty much it. 

While Bucky was still looking, the door clicked open, and Wade stepped into the room. He had one hand out in front of him, and the other covering his eyes. 

“Everybody decent? Hopefully not,” he finished in a mutter as he peeked between his fingers. Darcy watched the eyes of his facemask widen as he took in the state of her clothes. “I take it the bonding went well?”

“Yes. Very. Too well.”

“Are those your underwear?” He prodded a ragged strip of unicorn print fabric with the toe of his boot.

“Ex,” she told him. 

“Lucky for you I always carry an emergency thong,” Wade said. 

It shouldn’t have surprised her, it really shouldn’t, but Darcy still watched open-mouthed as he pulled a scarlet thong from one of the compartments of his utility belt. “Are you serious right now?” she asked.

He shrugged as he tossed it over to her. “Just because I prefer to be prepared for any contingency doesn’t mean I’m going to ruin the lines of my suit. Have you seen my ass, Darce? Have you? Just look at it, and tell me you’d throw all that away over a pair of boxer briefs.”

She ignored him, and his ass, in favor of shimmying into the thong.

It had Thor printed on the crotch.

What even was her life at this point? Killing a guy with her mind. Bonding with Bucky on a Hydra base. Having a fucking _heat_ crop up without warning for the first time in her entire existence, and now wearing Wade Wilson's Thundergod themed emergency thong. She needed a vacation.

Darcy straightened back up, adjusting Bucky’s shirt so it covered as much as it possibly could. Wade was moving swiftly around the room gathering up all the torn clothes which he then dumped into a trashcan. He then doused it with a bottle of lighter fluid that he produced from another part of his utility belt. “Wouldn’t want to leave behind any pesky DNA,” he said.

Bucky nodded in approval. “That too,” he said, jerking his head at the chair he’d been restrained in.

Wade grinned behind his mask. “My pleasure. In fact, why don’t I do a little redecorating project while you two go on ahead? This whole place is a design disaster. Just look at those blinds. Beige. No one likes beige.”

Darcy frowned. “What can you possibly do in less than five minutes without missing takeoff?”

Don’t worry about me. I’ll be there in time, scout's honor. Besides, I wouldn’t miss _that_ ride home for all the Hello Kitty merchandise in Tokyo. Go on now, get your Alpha-doggy and get out of here.”

At the mention of her Alpha, Darcy glanced over at Bucky. He was standing there, staring at her like she was the only other person on the entire planet...and also like he wanted to drag her off into the nearest empty room and bend her over the furniture again. 

She wobbled, knees starting to fold as her hormones tried once again to break through the barriers she’d put up. Bucky didn’t waste a second. Just marched over, caught her up in his arms, and walked straight out the door without so much as a backwards glance. 

He didn’t stop until they were safely on the quinjet with her in his lap. Nat’s eyes flicked up from the controls briefly when they arrived, and then her attention returned to the liftoff sequence. Wanda was in the seat next to her. She looked up and smiled. 

“Where’s Wade?” she asked.

“He’s um...doing a thing,” Darcy replied. 

“A thing?”

The engines switched on, humming loudly just as the first plumes of smoke started pouring from the windows on one side of the base. 

“Yeah. A thing. With fire apparently.” Darcy watched with a stomach full of worry for any sign of her friend as the smoke thickened, and several windows blew out in a blast of flames.

Moments later Wade appeared, charging the open quinjet bay door at a dead run. He dove, hitting the metal grating at a roll, and yelled, “GO! GO! GOOOO!”

Natasha promptly took off. They were still ascending when a loud roar filled the air, turbulence shaking the craft in its wake. 

Wanda turned around in her seat. “Wade… Did you blow up the base?”

He glanced back at the hole in the ground where the base had been, frowned and asked, “What base? I don’t see a base. Darce, do you see a base?”

Darcy didn’t answer. Now that she knew everyone was accounted for, she was too busy trying to stave off her heat. Things were getting worse by the second. Bucky wasn’t helping either. Imminent danger averted, his rut had begun to take over again, except he’d swapped out sexytimes for nestytimes. He was cuddling her tightly in his arms, rumbling throttled down to the point where it sounded almost like a purr, and nuzzling any inch of her he could reach.

She tried to make a little space, but it was impossible. Like fending off a really enthusiastic lion. Plus it just...it felt good. _So_ good. She felt safe, and protected, and goddamn he was sexy when he was being all snuggly. Darcy wasn’t sure she’d want to move even if she could. 

Still, though. An Omega heat on a plane full of witnesses was not something she wanted to experience.

“You’re not making this easy,” she hissed at Bucky. “I’m trying to halt a biological function here. Meanwhile, you’re Alpha-rumbling in my ear, and… Oh my god, stop licking my neck! Bucky!”

“Why stop it? I have you. You’re safe. We’re together…”

“Because we’re on a quinjet, Mr. Nesting Has Ruined My Ability to Reason,” Darcy retorted. “In front of Wanda, and Natasha, and _Deadpool_. Do you really want me to go into heat all over you with Wade sitting across the aisle?”

“Am I allowed to weigh in on this?” Wade inquired. He swiveled towards them, hands folded demurely on his crossed legs. “Please say yes, because I have several opinions, all of which I’d like to share. And several requests.”

“Wade, do you want to die? Because I absolutely appreciate all your help here, and your...god help me, I can’t believe I’m saying this… _thong_...but you are on seriously thin ice right now,” Darcy threatened. “The frozen kind.” She lifted her hand, locking him into place for a split second, and then dropped it.

“Yowza, kitty-kat. Is it wrong to be turned on and terrified at the same time? Because I definitely am.”

Buckly growled, leaning around her to glare at Wade. Undeterred, he just waved cheerfully at Bucky, pointed at Darcy, and mouthed what she thought was ‘call me’. Bucky was not amused. Neither was Darcy, but for a whole bunch of other reasons on top of Wade acting like a horny idiot.

“I can’t. I cannot do this right now. Bucky, you’ve got to let go of me.” She bit her lip helplessly at the hurt she saw in his eyes. “I’m sorry. Being with you is all I want right now too. Really. But it makes it so hard for me to concentrate, and I’m struggling already.”

“Will the seat next to me work?” He looked at her anxiously, clearly not wanting her too far away.

“It should be fine. I think, anyway.”

He tugged her close, lips grazing her forehead, and set her in the free seat on his right. “Better?”

The moment she had no skin to skin contact with him, the hormones clouding her ability to think settled down a little. Darcy nodded. “Better.” 

Bucky snapped the buckles of her safety harness in place, making sure it was secure, and then sat back down in his seat. 

“You too,” she said, gesturing at his own harness.

With a smile and a shake of his head, he complied. Darcy slumped back in her seat, breathing a sigh of relief. He was right. They were safe. _He_ was safe. Her whole body began to relax as that realization hit home. She could do this. It would take everything she had, but she could manage until they got behind closed doors.

Then it was gonna be on like Donkey Kong. Holding back fucking sucked.

She closed her eyes, working on rebuilding the shaky barriers holding back her heat cycle. The first blocks were just falling into place when a warm grip enfolded her hand, and she looked down to see Bucky’s fingers threaded through hers.

“Please,” he begged.

The amount he was craving even this small contact reverberated through the muted bond. Darcy looked over at him, and squeezed his hand. “Okay.”

Her blocks promptly started to crumble. She went back to work shoring them up. His thumb stroked over hers, and they crumbled again.

Darcy sighed.

It was going to be a long, long flight.


	13. Chocolate Diablo Heat Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which all Bucky wants to do is get Darcy back to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. It's time for that ooey gooey Alpha/Omega fluff ;-)

It was the longest plane ride of Bucky's life. He kept trying to reach Darcy through their bond. It was instinctive, the new feelings and need to be connected with her not fully under his control. Coming up against walls on her side with only the thinnest line running between them was torture. The only thing keeping him sane was the press of Darcy's palm against his.

He could tell by her pale face and bitten lips that she was feeling even worse. The constant struggle to prevent her heat was wearing on her. She looked exhausted, and possibly in pain, sitting next to him with her eyes screwed shut, and her free hand clenched into a fist. Even Wade was starting to look concerned. Bucky had watched as the male Omega systematically went through every concealed pocket of his uniform, plus the compartments of his utility belt twice, in the hopes that he might find an extra suppressant squirreled away somewhere. There wasn't one.

"Twelve minutes," Natasha said. She turned long enough to glance at Darcy with a worried frown. "How's she doing?"

"Not good," Bucky replied when it was obvious that Darcy couldn't. "We need to get her off the plane and somewhere quiet."

"I can make an emergency landing… Find a hotel or a safehouse."

Wanda shifted around in her own seat, lips pressed into a thin line. "No. Keep flying. This I can help with." She unbuckled her harness, and made her way into the back of the jet. "Darcy," she said, kneeling down in front of her, "give me your hand."

Darcy's eyes opened, and she made a face. "You don't want to get in my head right now, Wanda. It's a mess."

"I'm not afraid of messes. Besides, I'm a Beta. Instant calm, yes? Here." She stretched her hand out, waiting for Darcy to take it.

There was another moment of hesitation, and then Darcy gave in. Red mist swirled around their joined hands as Wanda created a mental link. The effect was instantaneous. Darcy's forehead smoothed, strained muscles relaxed, and she slumped towards Wanda with a grateful sigh.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I'm sorry about...you know."

One of Wanda's eyebrows quirked up, and she smiled. "You cannot help it."

"What?" Bucky asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. She's thinking about you, and she's apologizing for what I'm seeing."

"God, it's so embarrassing," Darcy muttered. "I can't put decent blocks up, my brain is just too tired."

"I'll do it," Wanda assured her. "Let's start here, though."

As she was still speaking, Bucky felt a ripple move across his bond with Darcy. The connection widened, emotions flowing back and forth in a more normal way. At first, Darcy's were fraught with apprehension. Then, as it became clear the connection wasn't going to trigger her heat, she turned and smiled at him.

"Hi," she said. "I just saved your ass from Hydra."

He grinned at her choice of words, picturing the cold fury on her face when she walked in and found him strapped to a chair. She was like an avenging angel to his rut-addled brain. He hadn't been sure if he wanted to worship her...or fuck her senseless. In the end, he'd done both. "Yes you did."

"I killed people for you."

"I know."

"He deserved it. That doctor? They all did." Wanda looked up at them, eyes flashing with anger. "I can see his thoughts through yours. The memories. The evil they did to James was unforgivable. They never would have stopped. They wanted your children to raise as weapons."

"Was that it?" Natasha asked. "Enhanced children?"

"Yeah. They wanted us too. Bucky, Steve...me. They thought they could control Steve and Bucky through their bond with me." Darcy sighed. "Those fuckers. Hopefully they know better now."

They didn't. Bucky thought it, but he wasn't about to say it. Not when Darcy was finally stable. The situation would have to be dealt with, but it was a subject they could broach later, when Steve was back with them in New York.

The doctor Darcy had killed wasn't the one in charge. Bucky knew that, but didn't know why he knew that. He kept wracking his brain for even the slightest hint of a face or a name, and coming up empty. It had either been wiped so thoroughly that he had no access to it, or he'd never known.

Whoever it was, they were high up on the Hydra echelon. That much was apparent...and terrifying. Somebody was calling the shots, and they were sophisticated enough to be able to get Steve and Tony out of the way, hack into the Avenger's email system, and formulate a plan for his recapture. It meant some part of the organization was operational, and had been all this time, probably once again hidden in plain sight.

"You're worried about something." Darcy was watching him carefully. Without being telepathically connected to him, she couldn't see his thoughts, but she could still sense his emotions through their bond. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Just having trouble shutting my head off," he lied. Her own uneasiness was palpable across their bond, and it started to set off a slew of protective instincts in Bucky. He wanted her off the plane, and safe in bed.

With him.

A whole different type of instincts rose to the surface along with those thoughts. His bed. He wanted her in _his_ bed. Warm, and cared for, and out of her borrowed clothes. And under him...hair spread out across his pillow, body arching up in pleasure, lips parting as he buried his face between…

Wanda cleared her throat loudly, and Bucky glanced over to see her staring at a fixed point at the back of the jet, face turning red.

"Funny thing about mental connections," Darcy said dryly. "You can _feel_ what the other person is feeling. Or in this case, what both of us are feeling. Welcome to Hella Awkward Telepath Situations 101."

"It's fine," Wanda said. "The two of you have been through great stress today, and you're newly bonded. The feelings you are having are understandable. I can create empathic blocks if you want, but it will keep me from sensing how Darcy is coping."

"No," Bucky said. "I can control it. Just make sure she's okay."

"I'll be more okay when we've landed, and I can get out of Wade's underwear," Darcy said.

"Thong," Wade corrected.

"Why is my life so weird?" she asked. "Just...why?"

"I think we all ask ourselves that on a daily basis, Cupcake. Occupational hazard." Tony's disembodied voice filled the narrow cabin of the jet.

Darcy's jaw dropped in shock, and then she glared down at the comm on her wrist like her father could see her annoyance through it. "Jesus Christ, dad! How long have you been listening in?"

"Couple seconds. Minute at the most. Afternoon, Barnes."

"Stark," Bucky said.

"Dad, you can't just have Friday hijack my comm. What if I'd been doing… Uh…"

"Yeah, you don't need to finish that sentence." Tony's voice drowned out her stammering. "I've been traumatized enough today thank you very much. I don't need to hear about my baby girl doing the nasty with one of the world's oldest living boyscouts." There was a moment of quiet, and then he said, "Is no one going to ask why I'm traumatized? No? Really? Well, I know who's off the Christmas list. Anyway, I spent my day trying to prevent the other geriatric boyscout you're attached to from going to war with Switzerland. I'm just gonna repeat that. War in Switzerland. It's a neutral country. In fact, it's _the_ neutral country, but try telling Captain Alphapants that. He thinks they're harboring Hydra operatives."

"Are they?" she asked.

"Possibly. Too soon to tell. Either way, I'm about to put him on the next plane out of here. Coach. No hot towel, no leg room, just wall to wall fanboys, and five dollar orange juice in a plastic cup."

"Darce?" Steve's worried voice cut over Tony's. "You guys okay? Natasha just sent a message saying the rescue went off without a hitch, but not hearing from you is driving me crazy."

"We're fine. Safe. Sorry I didn't get in touch with you, but I've been a little...distracted here."

"Distracted." Bucky snorted. That was putting it mildly. "She's going into heat, Stevie. Something about me set her off."

The sound of Steve swallowing was audible through the comm, and then he said in a completely different tone, one that made Darcy shiver in her seat, "I thought that was impossible."

"Yeah well, apparently not," Bucky replied.

"Was it… Did you…" Steve trailed off for a moment. "I mean, I thought I felt something. It was faint, but…"

"We did," Darcy said. "I think my body is reacting more to the stimulants they gave Bucky than us bonding, though. But I'm really not sure."

"Are you okay?"

"Mostly? I didn't have any suppressants on me, because like you said, we didn't think this could happen. Wanda is helping me hold it off right now. You know, magical telepath mind melding or whatever."

"Christ. And Hydra?"

"Oh they're dealt with," Wade answered gleefully. "I vaporized them. And there was also fire...and stabbing. Well, technically the stabbing came first, then the fire, and after that the vaporizing. Not to mention, Kitty-cat took care of the head baddie herself." He cocked his head, pressed both hands over his heart, and said to Darcy, " _SO_ proud of you. My little murder-kitten, taking names and freezing hearts."

"I'm coming home," Steve said.

"So am I," Tony added. "Darcy, kiddo, are you alright?"

It was the first time Bucky had ever heard Tony sound fatherly. The parental concern in his voice had Darcy blinking back tears.

"Yeah. I'm… I did what I had to do, Dad. You know? Just like you do what you have to do when the situation calls for it."

"That's my girl," he said. "Cupcake date when the smoke clears?"

She wiped under her eyes, and smiled. "You know it."

"Okay, well, I'm going to get Rogers the hell out of dodge before we end up with an embargo on luxury watches, and Barnes?"

Bucky sat up straighter in his seat, and Darcy squeezed his hand. "Yeah?"

"That's my little girl you just bonded with. You hurt her, and I will cheerfully put a rocket right between your eyes. No regrets. Just satisfaction at a job well done. Are we clear?"

"Tony, if I ever hurt her, I'll ask you to do it."

"Good man. We're on our way."

"Buck," Steve began, and Bucky could feel a faint echo of all his friend's pent up emotion vibrating along the bond they shared.

"I know," he said. "We'll see you when you get back, and judging by the way our girl is going pink every time she hears your voice, I think Darcy is gonna want to do more than just see you."

"And on that note," Tony interrupted, "I'm turning off the comms. There are some things a father never needs to hear. Or think about. Or even know exist. Bye, Cupcake. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad," she said, and the comm went dead.

"Well, that was uncomfortable," Natasha remarked. "One minute out, guys."

As soon as the quinjet touched down on the roof of the tower, Bucky was up and out of his seat. Wanda moved out of the way so he could get to Darcy, releasing her hand. It was like she'd released a tidal wave along with it. Darcy gasped, and through their bond, Bucky could feel every block she and Wanda had managed to put in place collapsing one after the other. All her feeling for him, images of what she wanted to do to him, and a bolt of unadulterated lust hit him all at once. It was all he could do not to push everyone out the door, and have her right there up against the curved wall of the jet.

Natasha must have noticed the change in his mood. "Just get her back to your place, Barnes," she ordered. "Unless you want to do this on her father's personal landing pad."

"Oooh, kinky," Wade said. "So, are we all allowed to be a part of this, or is there where we say goodnight?"

Darcy pulled it together long enough to glare at him, and pointedly say, " _Goodnight_ , Wade."

"Goodnight, Kitty-Kat. Sarge." Bucky watched as Wade shot them both a calculated glance. "Hey, Natasha, are we taking bets yet on whether or not they make it to the room before they start going at it? If so, I'll put a bill on not."

"Noted," Nat replied. "Wanda, you want in?"

Bucky didn't wait to see what Wanda's bet was. He helped Darcy to her feet, keeping his arm around her shoulders for support. When she stumbled on the airstairs on the way out, he simply scooped her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he made a beeline for the elevator doors. Darcy moaned, rubbing her face into the crook of his neck.

"You smell so good. Wanna eat you all up, Cookies," she mumbled.

At least Bucky thought that's what she said. It was a little hard to tell when she was trying to bite his neck at the same time.

"You biting me, doll?"

"Mmm, yes. You're mine now. I can do what I want." She bit his neck again.

He wasn't sure if that was to emphasis her point or not, but it was wreaking havoc with his self-control. It didn't help that Darcy began twisting in his arms in an attempt to get her legs wrapped around his waist. God help him, he wanted to let her. He wanted so much more too. It was all boiling just below the surface, the need to cherish her, protect her, fuck her until they were both breathless and spent. He swallowed the feelings down, and tried to concentrate on getting them out of there.

"Darce… Remember what you said about physical contact back on the jet? It works both ways, sweetheart."

"Yeah, I know. I can feel you, and it feels...so...good." She stretched up, flicking her tongue over his earlobe, then sucking it into her mouth.

Bucky groaned, tightening his grip on her. Every single thought he had was clouded with Ambre Solaire, and Darcy. "I'm begging you, doll, stop playing dirty. At least until I get you back to my place. Then I'll let you do whatever you want to me."

"I want to do all the things. Every one of them," she said.

"We'll do things. I promise." He was losing this fight, his body clamoring to have her immediately, and consequences be damned.

" _All_ the things," Darcy repeated.

"Anything," Bucky told her desperately. "Anything you want."

"I want you," she said. "Just you."

He had to close his eyes for a moment just to steady himself, and then broke into a jog, bypassing the elevator in favor of the door leading to the stairs. They would probably be faster than the elevator at this point, and he needed to get them both behind closed doors as soon as possible.

"Wait!"

Bucky ground to a halt, door to the steps halfway open. A snarl built up in his chest, and it took everything he had not to let it loose on the person who had interrupted them. When he turned around and saw who it was, Bucky was glad he did. Emma was striding towards them with Pepper right behind her.

"Mom," Darcy said weakly. "Hey. We were just going to Bucky's for...reasons."

"What's wrong with her?" Pepper asked, brow creasing with worry. "Was she injured? Why aren't you going to medical?"

There was a strange fluttering sensation around the edges of Bucky's consciousness. He promptly recoiled, but not fast enough. Emma's face registered understanding, and she reached out to touch Pepper's shoulder.

"She's fine. More than fine, actually. They're bonded."

"Bonded? Where? On the jet? Oh my God, does Tony know?" Pepper paused, understanding seeming to dawn as she took in Darcy's flushed skin and the way she was clinging to Bucky. "Is she…?" Her question was for Emma, who crooked an eyebrow at her daughter, and then nodded.

"She is. It appears Erik isn't the expert in everything he supposes himself to be."

"Joke's on him," Darcy said with a wan smile. Her fingers curled in the fabric of Bucky's shirt, and he could feel her ability to keep herself together in order to have the conversation fading fast.

"Indeed," her mother said. "Do you need anything, darling? Anything other than the handsome Sergeant here, that is."

"I could have Friday order food," Pepper offered.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Bucky told them. The strain of holding back was coming through in his voice, and Darcy was chewing on her bottom lip again. He needed to get them out of there, pronto. "I can handle everything."

Emma gave him a once over, and he could have sworn it ended in a satisfied nod. "Yes. I imagine you will. Well? I assume the two of you are less than thrilled about standing here answering our questions. Go. Enjoy each other. We'll have plenty to talk about later when you feel like company."

Bucky didn't wait to see if Pepper had anything else to say, just stepped through the door with Darcy, and let it slam shut behind them. She made a quiet, needy whimper.

"How much longer?"

"Not long. Just a few more floors to go," he said, looking over the side of the rail. There was a landing two floors down. "You afraid of heights?"

"Am I what? No. Why?" Her head popped up, eyes huge. "Bucky, do not even think about jumping over the rail! Just don't."

It was too late, he'd already done it, air whizzing past their ears as he prepared himself for the landing. He landed in a crouch, loud thud echoing through the stairwell. It was a short walk to his floor after that, a walk made shorter by the fact that he wasn't remotely walking.

"I hate you," Darcy said. "We are going to have so much sex to make up for this shit right here."

"You know, that's not really much of a consequence," he told her.

"Oh yeah? Well, just wait until my brain is functioning again, and can come up with something better. You are going to be really sorry."

He grinned at her. "Is that so? I'll take my chances."

"You're a jerk."

"A jerk who loves you," Bucky said, letting a wave of affection for her pulse across the bond.

Her whole body trembled in response. "Please tell me we're close to your apartment. I've got exactly three seconds left of good behavior."

"You're in luck on that score, doll. This is it." He held her one-armed so he could deal with the security protocols, kicking the door shut behind them once they were inside. This time when Darcy shifted until her legs were locked around hips he let her.

"We're alone," she declared happily, kissing across his collarbone.

"You're mine," he said, and she went still, lips still pressed to his skin.

Then she lifted her face up, pupils rapidly dilating. "Say it again. Do...do the thing."

"You're _mine_ , Darcy," Bucky repeated, Alpha tone thick in his voice.

She exhaled shakily. "I love that. I didn't expect to love that."

"It goes both ways," he said. "You were driving me crazy when you said it upstairs."

"Really? Tell me. Tell me how crazy I was making you."

"Made me want you right there. Didn't care who was watching. Made me so hard it hurt to hold back. Do you know what it was like, trying to talk to your mother...to Pepper…when all I wanted to do was get inside you? Jesus, Darce, it was killing me the whole time."

"What about now?"

He ground against her, erection rubbing against her center through their clothes. "You tell me."

"Just so you know, I have no particular attachment to anything I'm wearing right now."

Bucky chuckled. "Are you asking me to rip your clothes off again?"

"Technically they aren't mine," she answered.

"Do you know what would happen if Steve got back and found pieces of what you're wearing all over my apartment? He's already gonna be a wreck. It would put him into a rut too, and then you'd have both of us wanting to fuck you into the mattress at the same time."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Yeah. That sounds terrible. Where is that mattress, by the way?"

"Down the hall."

"Huh. How about that. You know, I think it's time we got acquainted."

"What, you and my mattress?"

"Yep." She nodded, all seriousness and innocent big blue eyes. He couldn't help the grin that was spreading across his face. It was replaced with raw hunger a second later when Darcy said, "You know, so you can knot me on it."

His blood thundered in his veins, vision closing in until all he could see was her. "Thought you didn't like that word."

"I don't, but…" She brought her lips close to his ear and whispered, "I love when you do it. Just thinking about it makes me wet."

"Jesus." Bucky's throat began working convulsively.

If he didn't start moving right then and there, the bed was going to have to wait because they were never making it down the hallway. So he did.

"You know, I love a man who walks with purpose," Darcy said. "How do you even do that? The whole angry, prowly, sexy..."

Her sentence ended in a squeak as he tossed her onto the bed, and came down on top of her. The growl in Bucky's chest breaking free when her chin tilted up and his bite mark on her neck became visible. He ducked his head down, flicking his tongue over the mark, and she moaned.

When they were still on the jet, Bucky had been making plans. Plans that included him actually getting his clothes off the next time they did this. Those plans went up in smoke as Darcy's legs opened beneath him, and a broken little " _Please, Bucky...please,_ " dropped from her lips.

Oh, he was gonna please her alright. Anything she needed for the rest of their lives. He was all hers.

Bucky's hand was shaking as he worked his jeans open, and hurriedly pushed whatever he needed to out of way to set his cock free. They didn't even get Wade's thong off her. He just yanked it to the side, and buried himself in her in one sharp thrust. She gasped, body arching into his.

"Yesssss," Darcy hissed, pleasure radiating through their bond.

He pulled her closer in response, and she lifted her head up to kiss him, her tongue pushing past his lips into his mouth. His hips snapped into hers, stroking into her slick heat over and over. Bucky could feel her tightening around him. Her body reacting to his, and drawing him deeper. It was like nothing else, the way she felt to him. Darcy completed a part of him that had been empty so long. She was like coming home.

Her body rocked into his, meeting every thrust. Her fingernails were biting into his back. Each one a little pinprick of pain that only served to spur him on until they were both frantic.

"I'm so close," Darcy gasped, her lips brushing his on every word. "Bucky, make me come."

It was clear what she wanted. Her muscles had begun to ripple around his cock, causing the rush of Alpha hormones that would trigger the swelling that would bind them together. Bucky doubted he could have stopped it if he tried. Not that he wanted to.

He slid his hands under her thighs, spreading them even further apart as he drew back one final time. Darcy urged him on, teeth nipping at his bottom lip.

"Do it," she said. "God, please..."

Bucky drove into her with enough force that the bed shuddered, slamming into the wall. She cried out, back bowing as his teeth locked down over the bite mark on her neck. He could feel it start, the base of his cock thickening as he came hard inside her. Everything else disappeared but Darcy. Her scent. Her taste. Her love for him flowing through their bond. She was all there was.

Minutes passed before either of them could speak. Bucky tried to keep most of his weight off her, but Darcy wasn't having it. Her arms wound around his back, pulling inexorably until he eased down on top of her. They were still joined, and likely would be for a little while. He didn't think he could force it down again like he had back at the base unless Darcy insisted on it. Even then it would be difficult. Not when every fiber of his body was crying out to stay right where it was. Lucky for him, Darcy seemed to feel the same way.

She stretched languorously beneath him, trembling a little as it shifted his knot inside her. There was a second where she just looked at him, then she glanced down and rolled her hips again. The response was immediate. Shivers swept over her body, and her neck curved up as she made an inarticulate whimper. The next time Darcy rolled her hips, Bucky was ready for it. He moved with her, watching as another aftershock orgasm shook through her.

"Cheater," she murmured.

"Yes I am," he replied. "But I don't hear you telling me to stop either."

"Because that would be stupid when it feels so good."

"Yeah? What's it feel like?" Bucky was genuinely curious. It wasn't the same for him. Not that it didn't feel good, but Omegas were made different. An Alpha knot could trigger multiple orgasms for her compared to his one.

Her eyes met his. They were still hazy with pleasure. "If you really wanna know, I can show you."

He kissed her, lips lingering over hers. "Show me."

Darcy closed her eyes, and moments later he could feel her touching his mind. He dropped his barriers, letting her in, and with her came an overwhelming sense of contentment.

"Okay," she said. "Now watch."

Her body moved. It was only a tiny lift of her hips off the bed, but the flash of stimulation that accompanied it took his breath away. She moved again, and this time Bucky felt every nuance of her orgasm. The tingling thrills giving way to a sensation of bliss that made them both moan.

He rode it out with her, pressing into her, and setting off another one. "Fuck. That...that's…"

"I know. Told you it was good," she said, smiling lazily at him once it was over. Then she reached up, smothering a yawn with her hand.

"Are you tired?" Bucky asked.

"A little. It's your fault, all bonding me and shit. My body thinks I need to sleep now. I keep telling it that it needs to shut up until after I have a shower."

"A shower, huh?"

"Mhmm. I'm not sure I can stand, though. Maybe I can lean against the wall."

He pictured her in his shower, water sleeking over her skin, and had to stop and clear his throat before speaking. "If you give me a couple minutes here, I can run you a bath. How's that?"

"Oh my God, that sounds amazing. Do you have anything to put in it? Not that I need it. Plain hot water would be awesome enough all on its own after everything that went down today. Trust me."

"I've got a few things you can use," Bucky told her. "You can uh...check them out while I fill the tub."

"What things?" An excited smile lit up her face. "Bucky Barnes! Tell me you went all Alpha dorky and bought me stuff."

"I've got no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. You went Omega shopping. Admit it."

"I might have done a little shopping," he said.

Bucky wasn't sure 'a little shopping' really covered it. The truth was he and Steve had been stocking up on things for her like a couple of smitten idiots for weeks. At this point Bucky had an entire linen closet devoted to Darcy. He didn't even know what half the stuff was, just that anytime he saw something that he thought she might like, he bought it.

There was even whole basket of these fizzy round bath things that Clint said women went crazy for. Bucky and Steve had put one in Steve's sink once to see what it did, and poor Steve ended up with a sink full of glitter. _Glitter_. Thank god, it had turned out to be water soluble. Bucky couldn't even imagine what it would have been like trying to explain the situation to a plumber...let alone Tony, who just happened to be their landlord.

"Did Steve go shopping too?" Darcy asked.

"Uh...yeah. He did. We went together most of the time."

"Wait. That sounds like shopping trips plural. Just how many things did you buy?"

"A few." Bucky was saved from having to fully come clean by his knot beginning to go down. He gently withdrew from her, tucking Darcy up in blankets as he shifted off the bed. "I'll be back in a couple minutes, okay?"

"Take your time," she said, nestling down with a happy sigh.

Darcy chose one of the fizzy things without glitter, for which Bucky was eternally grateful. Especially after she coaxed him into the foamy purple water with her. It smelled like grape penny candy, and had some kind of sheen to it, but no glitter. So it definitely could have been worse. He preferred her smelling like Ambre Solaire, though...or like him. That was easily remedied. He just needed to get her back in bed, something Bucky was fully planning to do once he got some food in her.

He already had her favorite places programmed in his phone along with her usual orders. Plus, he'd gotten the peanut butter she liked, a couple boxes of cereal...or ten, and sixteen tubes of that cookie dough she sometimes ate with a spoon.

And a whole shelf in his freezer dedicated to different ice cream selections she said were good.

Bucky considered for a moment that he might, possibly, maybe have gone a little overboard. Then she turned around, sending the ripples through the purple water, and kissed him full on the mouth. He stopped thinking in favor of kissing her back.

It would all be fine. At least for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, no worries. Steve isn't too far away. Methinks he'll be back real soon ;-)


	14. A Cupcake Divided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is home sweet home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, this is a long one! Enjoy :-)

Darcy was sleeping. Bucky lay propped up on his side next to her, watching. He couldn't help it. The sense of peaceful happiness emanating from her, even in sleep, was something he couldn't resist. She was curled up like a kitten, most of the blankets kicked off, bare skin visible where the sheet didn't cover. The faint scent of grape penny candy was still mixed up with her usual roses and jasmine, and Bucky's own. And…he leaned forward, breathing in deeply...pizza.

Bucky had ordered it when he finally got her out of the tub and into a towel. They ate it in bed while watching some terrible old western that she spent most of the time making fun of. After that, he'd taken the empty box back out to the kitchen, only to come back and find her stark naked in his bathroom brushing her teeth with the toothbrush he'd gotten her. He gave her just enough time to rinse her mouth before carting her back to bed to make good on his promise to her about 'doing all the things'.

His mind drifted over the past few hours, each memory making him smile, as he skimmed the tip of one finger down the side of her neck, pausing to lean down and kiss the mark he'd made there.

 _His_ mark. _His_ girl. Although if the increasing intensity of the feelings coming across the bond he shared with Steve were any indication, Bucky's time as her sole Alpha was quickly coming to a close. He'd wondered if he should be feeling jealousy over that fact. He wasn't. It would probably sound strange to anyone outside of a Triumvirate bond, but he was looking forward to Steve getting back, and making things complete. It was as if each of them was a piece in a circuit. He and Darcy could run without Steve, but they'd brighter, stronger, more connected when all the pieces were in place.

It wouldn't be long. There were other reasons Bucky wanted Steve back as well. More serious ones. It was something he'd figured out while they were still on the Hydra base. Something that could affect them all in the worst possible way. They needed to talk, and it had to be soon.

Bucky got up, and got dressed, while another half an hour ticked by. Each passing second brought with it a strong sense of Steve humming through their bond. He was desperate to be back with them. Bucky knew that much. By the time a text came in saying they were only a few minutes out, he could decipher individual feelings.

Anxiety was at the top of the list. The same anxiety Steve always exhibited whenever someone he cared about was either in, or had been in, danger. Next was anger. His buddy Captain America was fucking furious. Bucky suspected that if Wade hadn't blown up the hidden Hydra base, Steve might have taken care of it himself. And then there was…

Well…

Let's just say that Steve really wanted to get back to Darcy. Badly. He was raring to be with her, _bond_ with her. Bucky could practically taste it, that's how strong Steve's need was. In fact, he was probably going to have to physically restrain that idiot from waking her up. Nobody was waking up his bondmate right now unless it was over his dead body. Bucky knew that much. She needed her sleep, and what Darcy needed, Darcy was going to get.

Besides, Steve would have her all to himself soon enough. They had to get this Sputnik shit figured out, and it couldn't wait. Which reminded him, he needed to make some calls. One to Wanda, one to Helen Cho...and the last to the royal palace in Wakanda. He did it quietly, not to hide it from Darcy but to ensure she got her sleep. He'd be explaining the whole thing soon enough. He was just ending the last call when his ears picked up the distant hum of a jet engine.

Quinjets were fairly quiet as far as planes of their type went, but Bucky could still hear it touch down several floors up on the roof of the tower. He hadn't even reached the door to his apartment when he could hear the other Alpha jogging closer in the hall outside. There was the quiet electronic beeping of the security sequence going through, and then Steve strode through the door in full uniform, shield just visible above his shoulder blades. The relief rolling off him when he saw Bucky was palpable.

"You're safe," he said. His hand came down on Bucky's shoulder, reassuring and just shy of too tight. "Christ, Buck. You had me scared for a little while there. It all went okay?"

Bucky nodded. "Thanks to our girl. She's a real firecracker. Pretty much headed up the whole mission herself."

"Where is she? Is she alright?" Steve's eyes narrowed beneath the cowl, flicking over Bucky and the rest of the room like he was doing a security sweep. Worry began to build when he didn't see her right away. "Buck? What's wrong?"

"Slow down, Stevie. She's fine. Sleeping. Why don't you sit down, take the goddamn shield and helmet off, and I'll fill you in."

There was the briefest shake of Steve's head as he started towards the bedroom. "I need to see her."

Bucky let him go, understanding what it felt like, but he followed closely behind in case he needed to hold him back. Seconds later, they were both standing in the doorway, staring at a sleeping Darcy who was now on top of the sheet, nude body on full display.

She was gorgeous. Perfect. Bucky had been in awe once he finally got her out of the mismatched borrowed clothes, and was able actually explore her, letting his eyes roam over every inch of her skin.

He was still in awe.

So was Steve, who was standing next to him slack-jawed with his eyes glued to her...assets.

"Knock it off," Bucky said, banging his shoulder against Steve's. "She's sleeping."

Steve growled at that remark, but immediately averted his eyes. Bucky snorted. Apparently Stark had been right about some things. Steven Rogers was the world's oldest living Boy Scout. Over on the bed, Darcy stirred, stretching her arms up over her head.

" _Jesus_ ," Steve whispered.

Or maybe not such a Boy Scout after all, Bucky noted as he had to throw an arm out to prevent Steve from marching straight into the room. "Okay, pal, you've seen enough to know she's just fine. Back to the living room. We need to talk."

Even after saying that, Bucky practically had to drag the other Alpha down the hall and shove him onto the couch. Steve finally unhooked the buckle on his helmet, dropping it, and his shield, on the floor next to him.

"Did it hurt her?" he asked, motioning at his neck. "When you…?"

"Nah. She uh…" Bucky ducked his head, clearing his throat. "She likes it. Besides, she gives as good as she gets." He pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck to show the bite marks Darcy had left there when he was carrying her home, and Steve's eyes widened.

"She did that?"

"She did. Straight up informed me that I was hers now, and she could do whatever she wanted. I told you she's a firecracker. Darcy might be an Omega, but there's nothing submissive about her. You should have seen her come storming into the room where they were holding me, Stevie. She was like some kinda...what's that thing Thor talks about?"

"Valkyrie?"

"Yeah. That." Bucky smiled. "She coulda shown up with wings and a sword, and I wouldn't have been surprised. It was something, watching her finish off that Hydra operative to get me out of there."

Steve shook his head. "So she… froze the guy?"

"Dropped him where he stood. And you worried about her taking care of herself." He snorted. Then he cocked his head to the side. Unless Bucky was very much mistaken, the subject of their conversation was waking up. Darcy had turned out to be a restless sleeper, but the rustling from the bedroom was markedly louder. The feelings coming through the bond were changing too. Amping up, so to speak.

Steve must have heard her as well, because he had twisted around on the couch trying to get a better view of the hall. There were a couple seconds of silence where Bucky knew for sure she was awake. Confusion, awareness, and a heady shot of excitement mixed with need to be near him traveled down their bond, and then he could hear her coming their way.

Both Alphas went completely still when Darcy finally appeared in the opening between the hall and the living room. She had one of Bucky's longer t-shirts on, and that was it. Twin hungry gazes roved over her, starting with her sleep tousled hair, and ending with her bare toes on the hardwood. She went straight to Bucky, who was still standing, and poked him in the chest.

"You aren't in bed," she accused. "We can't do the stuff I want to do if you aren't in bed."

"Sorry, doll. I didn't want to leave you, but I had to get up. We've got company," he said, jerking his chin in Steve's direction.

"Company?" Darcy spun around saw Steve, smile instantly spreading across her face. "Hey! You're back! _And_ you're in uniform. Damn, Cap, are you trying to kill me with the sexy?"

Steve's hands, still encased in the fingerless gloves he wore on missions, flexed where they were sitting on his knees. Then he stood, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Darce," he said.

"Look at him," she said to Bucky in a loud, teasing whisper. "I think I might have broken him, or something."

"Nah. You said the word 'bed', and Stevie here had some kind of neural overload. Plus, you have no idea how good you smell right now, or how sexy you look in my shirt. I'm having a little bit of a neural overload myself."

"Oh yeah?" She tilted her head so she could grin up at him. "Omega for the win, I guess." Then she took a step towards Steve, saying, "Fair warning, I'm going to hug you now. Feel free to get all kinds of inappropriate with your hands and stuff. I can absolutely guarantee you that I won't mind."

Steve must have decided he'd waited long enough to get his arms around her. Taking two strides forward, he pulled her to his chest tightly enough that he lifted her right off the ground. Bucky was still waiting for the jealousy to hit.

It didn't.

In fact, he was kind of enjoying the view. Darcy hadn't put anything on under the t-shirt, and some of his favorite aspects of her person were clearly visible where it had ridden up when Steve embraced her. As for Steve, he was talking to her in a low voice, head bent over Darcy's to the extent where Bucky couldn't see his face. She was nodding, either in answer or agreement. Bucky couldn't tell, but when she leaned back far enough that he could see her expression, he was alarmed to see tears on her cheeks. Emotions were hitting him so fiercely from both of them that he couldn't tell who was feeling what, which didn't help.

Without another thought, Bucky crossed to where they were and slid an arm around Darcy's waist, between her and Steve. Steve's eyes flicked over to Bucky's and he gently lowered Darcy to the floor...but didn't let go of her. As for Darcy, she didn't even seem surprised by Bucky's need to protect her. She just reached back to pull his other arm around her. The moment she was pressed between both Alphas, she sighed blissfully.

"Oh my God, this is the best," she said. "Nobody move."

"You okay, doll?" Bucky asked.

"Those are relieved tears. I promise," she assured him. "I've got both my boys home safe. Everything is fixed. Hydra doesn't have us. We're good."

Bucky felt his heart sink. He hated to ruin the moment, but it was clear the time to talk had arrived. "What...what if we're not?"

"What are you talking about?" She'd wriggled around while she was speaking so she could see him. "Bucky?"

Steve eyed him warily, brows drawing together. He was already mentally reaching for his shield, and preparing for battle. Bucky could feel it.

"Maybe we'd better sit down," he said.

"Fine. Couch. I'm in the middle," she replied.

He didn't tell her that she would have been in the middle anyway. There was no way he and Steve would have let her sit anywhere else. Not with the way the uncertainty and tension was winding through their bonds at the moment. Darcy was still looking at Bucky, but her hand sought Steve's out blindly, and he took it. She was curled up with her legs under her, knees pressed against Bucky's thigh.

"Okay. I'm ready," she said. "Talk to me. How are we not safe? I took out the doctor who had you. Wade annihilated the entire operation. They don't have any of us. There's no way they can get what they want now, can they? I mean, the plan was to control you guys using me, right?"

"What?" Ice cold fury filled Steve's voice. "What's she talking about?"

"Hydra knows about the Triumvirate bond," Darcy explained. "We figured it out at the base. They thought that if they could bond Bucky to an Omega, they could control him better...and if she was the right Omega...well…then they could control you too." She turned towards Steve, biting her lip. "They wanted all three of us. As far as we could tell, the reason why they kidnapped Bucky was so you would attempt to rescue him and to also draw me out. Those three other Omegas were there just in case they failed in finding me. Although I'm not sure they know who I am. Just that I exist. Of course, it's not like we've exactly hid the fact that we're dating...and there was that mole in Bruce's office. They could know anything at this point."

"They wanted to control us using Darcy?" Steve appeared to be seconds away from murdering someone.

"And our hypothetical future kids," Darcy added. "But like I said, they don't have me. I'm the key, right? They planned on controlling both of you by getting ahold of your omega. And I'm right here with both of you."

Bucky shook his head. The truth made his stomach roil. "No," he said. "Not you, doll. _Me_. They were going to control us all using me."

"You? But I'm the Omega. I thought…" She stopped speaking, confusion written all over her face, then it was replaced with horror. "That word I wouldn't let him say," she whispered. "Could they do that? Control us all with your programming using the bond? Would it even work?"

"They thought so. Or at least someone at the top did."

"What word?" Steve frowned. "I thought all the trigger words were deprogrammed. Bucky, what the hell is going on?"

Bucky pulled a notebook page filled with interspersed letters, numbers, and symbols from his pocket and handed it to Steve. "I found this in a file when I was searching the room they held me in."

His bondmates both stared at the page briefly, and then Steve said, "I'm not familiar with the code."

"I am," Bucky said. "Hydra uses it for their most classified intel."

"Can you read it?" Darcy asked.

"Yeah. All this at the top looks like it was written by Zola. Basically, it lays out the groundwork for my initial programming."

"You mean when they…?" Steve gestured at his arm, and Bucky shook his head.

"Not then. The first time they had me."

Steve looked stunned. "The gurney where I found you. All that equipment… I had thought torture...but...this... You mean to tell me they were already working on the brainwashing even then? Why didn't you ever say?"

"I didn't know," Bucky said. "Not all of it, anyway. And what I did know… Steve, we were in the middle of a war. I'd just been rescued. I thought I could put it behind me, throw myself into the cause, and forget it ever happened. But…the procedure had already been started," he said, with a chill running down his spine.

"I knew something was wrong." Steve frowned. "You weren't the same."

"Yeah well, neither were you," Bucky responded dryly.

Darcy shifted impatiently on the sofa between them. "I'm confused. When I was in that doctor's head, he didn't think the initial programming was that strong. It was a short-term failsafe, not something more effective than what they usually used. I don't understand how it could be used to control all of us."

"I don't think he knew all of it," Bucky told her. "He wasn't more than a flunky with a bunch of fancy letters after his name. He thought he was big stuff, but guys like him? They do what they're told to do, and don't ask too many questions. He was on a 'need to know' basis. That's how it works. Besides that, I doubt he had the kinds of clearances for the code in the file. My guess would be that only one person really knows what the programming is capable of, and that's the one actually running the show."

"We have no idea who that is?" Steve questioned.

"No," Bucky replied. "I'm coming up blank with a name or a face. There's not even a single memory there that could help. It's frustrating as hell. They've obviously studied me closely enough to understand my DNA, and they know how to use it against me. See all this here?" He pointed further down the page where the handwriting changed. "The research picks up again in 1957. That's when the first attempt Zola made at programming me was finally completed, and given a trigger word. Then it's like it got lost again or something. There's nothing else until a couple months ago. New handwriting. New notes. Whoever it is knows what a Triumvirate bond is. They suspect Steve and I are bonded, and know we've found our third. According to their theory, they believe activating the trigger word might work on all three of us through the bond."

Darcy confiscated Steve's phone, typing into it. Bucky guessed she was telling him about Sputnik, and didn't want to say the word out loud. He wasn't sure if the precaution was totally necessary. The word alone wasn't enough. According to Zola's notes, activating the programming also required a cocktail of drugs he cooked up back in the forties. Bucky could only imagine they'd been added to the stimulants in his IV bag. Though it was likely that his body had metabolized them in the time they'd been back.

That was probably why the Sputnik programming had been sidelined as a failsafe. Despite the fact that it was deeper in his psyche, and far more powerful than the ten regular trigger words, it required more work to activate and to keep active. Plus, using a single word was dangerous. If that was all it took to activate his mind control, it could be done by accident if the word were spoken by anyone. The need for a specific formula of drugs prevented that. As long as the drugs were out of his system, the trigger word was rendered inert.

Still. Better safe than sorry. He explained about the drugs while Darcy and Steve listened. They asked questions here and there. Some Bucky had the answers for...and some he didn't.

"Let me see if I have this straight," Steve said, when there was a pause in the conversation. "You think if one of us said the word right now, it wouldn't work on you?"

"If what's on that paper is true, and the drugs are metabolized, then yeah. It won't work," Bucky replied. "There's only one way to know for sure, though."

"You want one of us to say it," Darcy guessed.

"You," Bucky told her. "I want you to say it."

Her eyes went wide with concern. "I don't know, Bucky. What if it works?"

"I trust you," he said. "Just don't make me do something stupid, like...I don't know...cluck like a chicken or bark like a dog."

She snorted. "Well, now I'm totally going to do that."

"You're not gonna do anything if you don't say the word," Bucky challenged.

"I don't know." Darcy looked at both of them hesitantly. "Steve, what do you think?"

"I think I trust you too," he said. "And I wouldn't mind seeing Bucky act like a chicken."

"I wouldn't mind kicking your ass," Bucky said, "but we've got a lady present. Speaking of the lady, I'm ready when you are, doll."

"Okay." Their bond jangled with her nerves, and he could feel Darcy working to steady them. She took a deep breath, eyes locked on his, and in a voice barely above a whisper, said, "Sputnik."

Bucky had been right about everything except the drugs being out of his system. As soon as Darcy said the word, he felt an immediate disconnect to everything that made him who he was. All that mattered was doing what she asked. The words 'ready to comply' were on the tip of his tongue...but there they stayed. The urge to comply fading just as quickly as it had arrived.

"Bucky?"

He looked down to see her fingertips resting on his wrist. Steve was leaning around her, watching cautiously in case he needed to step in.

"I'm here," Bucky replied. "Not a chicken either. Which is a relief."

"It worked, though." She shivered. "You… I don't know how to describe what happened… It was like you disappeared for a second. Or...no. It was more like you went on mute. You were there, but the connection was blocked. Am I making sense? I felt it too. This weird...pull. It wasn't strong, but it was there. What about you?"

Darcy looked at Steve and he nodded. "It was there. Just like you said. Not strong, but I felt it."

"That's it then," Bucky said grimly. "We know it works. Not as well as it would have had there been a full dose of the drugs in my body, but that doesn't make it any better. I'm still a danger to both of you as long as I can be compromised like that. Which uh…brings me to the next thing we need to discuss. I think until we can get my head sorted out, it's better if I'm contained."

Steve appeared resigned to hearing that. He knew what Bucky was going to say before he said it, but Darcy shook her head violently as soon as she realized he meant going back under ice or restraints for as long as it took him to be deprogrammed.

"Nope. No way," she insisted. "Steve, tell him he doesn't have to do this."

Bucky shared a long look with Steve, who cleared his throat and said, "Darce…"

"Don't. Don't say it." She glanced back and forth between them frantically, her panic cutting into him like a knife. "You can't, okay? Bucky, you just...you can't. I just got you both back!"

He moved closer to her on the couch, cupping her face in his hand so she was looking at just him. "You know I wouldn't do this if there was any other way, but Darce, I gotta keep you safe. Both of you. Think about it. If Hydra got their hands on me again they could force all three of us to do what they want. Do you really want to leave that possibility open? It's a risk I'm not willing to take."

"When? How long do we have?"

"I made the calls while you were sleeping. The team from Wakanda should be arriving by tomorrow morning, but a cryo chamber has already been prepared for me down in medical. They're just waiting for me to get there."

"Now?" Her voice broke on the word. "But we just bonded."

"I know. Believe me, doll. I know. I don't want to be away from you either. It goes against every instinct I have to walk out that door...except the one to protect you. Which is why I have to do it."

"You won't be alone, Darcy," Steve spoke up. "I'm not going anywhere. Unless… Unless you want your space."

She turned to him with an incredulous expression. "I want my Alphas. _Both_ of them. Are you really supporting this?"

"You'll have both of us," Bucky said. "I can promise you that. As soon as whatever is going on up here…" He touched one temple. "...gets fixed, I'm gonna want to be with my girl. Christ, I want to be with you right now, and you're right here where I can touch you."

"So touch me," Darcy said. "Make medical wait a little longer. It's not like the cryo chamber is going anywhere, right? You and Steve can take me back to bed."

Steve gave a low soft growl at that, eyes darkening, and Bucky wondered if Darcy knew just how not alone she was going to be. It wasn't easy leaving her in the arms of another Alpha, even if that Alpha was Steve. Walking out the door just might break him. He smiled ruefully. "You're killing me here. Do you really think that if we did that, I'd be able to leave afterwards? Doll, you have no idea what you do to me. A hundred years of buried instincts are all trying to get out at once. I don't even know which end is up half the time. Kissing you goodbye, even if it's only temporary, is gonna be the hardest thing I've ever done. I can do it, though. I can do it to make sure no one is able to use my head to come between us...and I can do it because I know you won't be alone. Just like Stevie said. He's going to be here. Probably knocking you flat with attention every second you're awake."

"He's right," Steve added. "Bucky isn't the only one who's dealing with a hundred years of smothered Alpha impulses. And, um…it might be worse for me, seeing as how it really has been almost a hundred years since...you know."

"I almost feel sorry for you," Bucky said to Darcy, shaking his head. "Leaving you with _that_."

She glanced over at Steve, giving him a long, slow once-over. "I think I can handle it."

"Oh, I know you can handle it." Bucky chuckled. "There's not much that you can't handle, gorgeous. Just look at how you've been handling me."

"It was my pleasure," she teased. "Seriously. _All_ the pleasure."

"Yeah. Mine too," Bucky said. "Alright, doll, I should probably head out while I'm still able to do it. Otherwise I'm gonna stay here looking at you, and lose my nerve."

"Okay." Her apparent calm with his decision was deceptive. Bucky could feel what was underneath it, and it was anything but calm. "Can I walk you down to medical?"

"Not dressed that like that, you won't," he said. "I'm in rut, Steve's halfway there, and you want to walk around the halls with us wearing next to nothing in front of other people. You're asking for trouble."

"You really can't curb yourselves for the ten minutes it's going to take us to walk to medical? What happened to all that enhanced, super soldier Alpha control?"

"It's not really that. Bucky doesn't want you to watch him go under, Darce," Steve surmised. "I don't blame him. It's not an easy thing to witness."

"Why don't you walk me as far as Stevie's?" Bucky asked. "I know he's dying to get you back to his place anyway. This way we'd be killing two birds with one stone."

She looked at Bucky, frowning. "How will I know you get to medical safely?"

"Wade's still in the building," Steve said. "I saw him on my way in."

Bucky wasn't sure Wade escorting him down to medical was how he wanted to spend his last couple minutes unfrozen, but if it made Darcy happy, he'd put up with far worse. The relief on her face made the decision for him. They set it up, she slipped on some clothes, and then walked down to Steve's with her bookended in between them.

Once they were there, it was all Bucky could do to kiss her and walk away. Even then he felt like he was leaving part of himself behind. He hadn't even gotten halfway down the hall, when he turned around, striding back to her with purposeful steps. Darcy broke into a little run when he was about ten feet away, jumping straight into his arms. Bucky pressed his face into her hair, breathing deeply.

"I love you," Darcy said.

"Love you too. Don't let him do anything stupid while I'm out, okay?" he said, referring to Steve. "We both know how goddamn reckless he can be."

She nodded, tilting her face up to be kissed. He covered her lips with his own, making it last as long as he could. Then he walked away for the second time, knowing they were both in good hands. It didn't make it easier, but it was something to hold onto until he was back with them again.

XXXXXXX

"Darcy."

She watched Bucky's figure become smaller and smaller as he walked down the hall, on his way to medical. This time, he didn't look back, and there was a knot in her throat that was becoming more and more painful.

"Darcy," said the familiar deep voice again, a voice that touched her all the way down her spine, the voice of an alpha. Her alpha. Though their bond was still incomplete. She tore herself from the sight of her new bondmate, and his last few strides left in view, as he went to be put to sleep. The thought finally made the knot in her throat erupt, and the tears began to flow down her cheeks.

"C'mere," Steve said, softly.

She did as she was told. It wasn't a command, but all she wanted at that moment was the comfort of his arms. It wasn't even a sexual thing at that point, it was just a need to feel hidden, protected, and warm. A need to find comfort in her Alpha's embrace. She might not have quite as many years of buried instincts as they did, but hers were just as strong, and it was the only thing that made sense to her right then.

Darcy put her arms around Steve and he lifted her up again. She buried her face in his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, for comfort's sake, to give her an anchor, although he gave a low growl at the sensation. She took a deep breath and there he was, the thing she'd been missing so much the past few days. The aroma of…well, home. And not only home, but the best aspects of it. The feeling of sitting around a fire with blankets and hoodies and hot chocolate, eating soup out of mugs, cocooned from the harsh world outside. The peaceful side of Christmas, or the season, the aromas present when gathering with loved ones, remembering good times, making new memories, enjoying each other, while the snow falls outside, making colored fairy lights twinkle. All of these feelings from just breathing Steve in. She put her lips behind his ear for a chaste kiss, his skin was so warm. She felt as if she could practically melt into him at that moment. That he could mentally take her to a whole other place. A whole other realm of existence, if she concentrated hard enough, if she let herself go enough. She almost let it happen, but then was met with a block, or more of a fizzle.

Darcy opened her eyes and realized that Steve had taken her into his apartment and shut the door. He gently sat them both on his couch, with her still in his lap, as they both obviously couldn't stand the thought of not touching each other. They needed the feel of the other's skin, they craved it.

She gave a long frustrated sigh. She couldn't stay there, because even though Bucky's absence was making it easier to dial down the intensity of her spontaneous heat, she was now experiencing the mental fatigue that plagued her when she did too much psychic work in such a short period of time. Everything had drained her, especially trying to control the heat. And that was dangerous, as being drained could open her up to all sorts of terrible predicaments, like becoming seriously ill, or even psychic attacks. She didn't exactly have any nefarious psychic enemies at that point, but with the HYDRA threat, she wasn't about to take any chances.

She sat up and looked at Steve…really looked at him. His radiant blue eyes were searching hers, looking for reassurance that she was comfortable, worry on his handsome face.

He was so perfect and dear to her now. If someone had told her a year ago that she'd be sitting in Captain America's lap and being soothed by him, she would have laughed in their face. And probably also smacked them, as she was firmly hashtag-team-Iron-Man. But things were so different now. She was most certainly on his team, and he was on hers. They were on their way to becoming true partners. She ran a hand gently through his hair and he closed his eyes with a slight moan. It was adorably mussed from being underneath his cowl, and he was still in uniform, though he'd left his helmet and shield at Bucky's. She then realized that he'd left his shield behind because all he'd wanted to do was take care of her…as she was so broken up about Bucky. Had just bonded with Bucky, and now he was gone. Steve was trying to be a consolation.

She closed her eyes as new tears formed, and they were all for Steve. _Steve_. He'd told her to bond with Bucky the moment they had the chance, knowing that it would put them on another plane, another level, all to themselves for awhile. He'd put their needs ahead of his own, ahead of his instincts. And now he was left out of their true bond, and was absolutely sure that Darcy would rather be alone with Bucky right now, than with him.

But that wasn't at all how Darcy felt. There was definitely a disconnect, an awkwardness that hadn't been there since the very beginning of their relationship…but he would never be a consolation for not having Bucky with her. Steve was everything to her, just as Bucky was, in his own right. And she wrestled with how to tell him that she needed to go back to her apartment, without seriously hurting him. And then at that moment, all she felt was a deep and hollow anger, as she realized exactly what HYDRA had done to them. How much they'd taken away.

She had to get up, needed to move around, as she was getting terribly antsy. The sun was setting, bathing the room with intense red and orange hues. She moved towards the floor-to-ceiling windows in his apartment, trying her best to will the energy from the sun to help invigorate her, though it didn't exactly work. It only helped her to feel a little warmer and aided in a bit of distraction, which helped to lessen her anger slightly.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, as he got up to follow her. He now stood directly behind her at the window. "You became so angry all of a sudden."

"You could feel that?" she asked, softly.

"Yeah. It's strange. It's subtle, but I can feel you through my bond with Bucky. And…your bond with Bucky. He's still…awake. For now."

And there was the anger again, back in full force.

"I just feel like so much was taken from us. And all I see right now is red." She gazed at the city just outside, the skyscrapers reflecting all the colors of dusk, as the sun continued its descent.

Steve put his big warm hands on her shoulders and kneaded, giving her a little massage. It felt absolutely incredible. "You're angry that Buck had to go under."

She looked down. "Yes. But that's not all of it. We had plans for all three of us to bond together, and that was taken away. That moment was taken away from us, and we'll never get it back."

"I know."

"And this whole thing, it made me…reveal certain things, about myself, before I was ready. I'm still reeling from it. There's a part of me that is super uncomfortable right now. I feel like…I'm exposed or something. Bleeding all over the place. HYDRA knew about us. Knew that you and Bucky had found a potential Omega. You don't understand how hard I've worked to remain for the most part, undetected, as a mutant. And now?" Darcy sighed. It was probably all over. Too many people outside of the X-Men and her closest allies now knew.

'I'm so sorry," Steve said, and hesitated a moment before speaking again. "That…that being with us has caused all of…this."

She turned around suddenly, facing him "No, Steve. No. You told me it wasn't my fault when HYDRA kidnapped Bucky, even though I felt like it was. And it's the same thing here. It's not your fault. It's _HYDRA's_ fault. They _stole_ all this away from us. They've already stolen so much from you…and my god, so much from Bucky…and hell, everyone, over the years. And they continue to do it…and, it's all so unfair. Just when you think it's over, just when you think you've got 'em, you realize it's all an illusion. It's not over at all, just goes deeper and deeper. Wade laid waste to that entire building and everyone in it…and it still wasn't enough. You and Bucky deserve some peace, more so than anyone I know. And yet HYDRA…goes on. Cut off one head and their stupid idiotic octopus just keeps on going."

Darcy then felt what Steve had been talking about. He was angry too. Livid. She could sense his feelings through the bond she shared with Bucky, she could easily access it as well, while he was still awake. She desperately wanted to know what it would be like when there was no longer a barrier. How it would feel when she was finally properly bonded with Steve. She desperately wanted it, but didn't know if she could mentally handle it at that moment, as her mind was currently running on fumes.

She closed her eyes and leaned towards him, resting her forehead on his chest, and his arms came around her as he sighed, some of the anger he carried instantly fading away. "Are you tired?" he asked. "Do you need some more sleep?"

"Not exactly."

"Are you hungry? I can make you dinner."

She shook her head.

"Do you need…you know, with your heat an' all."

Darcy smirked at his oh so subtle inquiry about her needing sex. His adorableness almost made her forget everything that was happening for a moment.

Then she felt it. The moment Bucky was still there, but he was suddenly muted. It was as if her anchor to the Earth was somehow wrenched away, and the loss of it left her breathless.

Darcy backed away from Steve and doubled over, as if she were about to be sick. She wasn't, she just had way too many emotions flowing through her at once, from the physical sensation of Bucky being cut off from the world. His personality, everything she loved so much about him, all the memories and traits that made up, well, him. Everything he'd fought so hard to regain was now completely faded. The man she'd just bonded with, bared her soul to, had been put on ice. It felt like losing a limb. It felt like someone had just ripped her heart out.

HYDRA had just ripped her heart out.

"Darcy? I know, sweetheart, I know," Steve said. "It's not easy. At least you didn't have to see it."

She looked up at him. "You watched…before?"

He nodded. "Tore me apart. It's all I could think about for weeks."

Darcy closed her eyes. It was all beginning to be way too much, and she could feel herself being spread out much too thin. She was on the way to making herself seriously ill. "Steve. I need…I uh…"

"Anything, Darcy. Just tell me what you need, you got it."

She gave him a weak little smile, opening her eyes to him. He looked so earnest, ready to take care of his Omega, desperately needing to, as his instincts were telling him to keep her safe, protected, healthy, happy, content, provided for, stable, all of those things…because at that moment, she felt none of them. His Alpha impulses must have been going totally haywire.

And Darcy wanted to find all the comfort in Steve. Wanted to so bad … but didn't know if she could do it right then. She took a deep breath. "I'm in sensory overload and it's getting overwhelming," she explained. "I can't handle much more. I think…I think I might need to go back to my apartment for a little while. And be alone."

" _Oh_ ," his face dropped, his eyes looking down, trying to mask the hurt there. But he couldn't fool her.

She walked up to him and took his hands. "It's not that I don't want to be with you, I do, more than you could know. Or hell, what am I thinking, you do know, you're feeling it too. But I've been doing so much psychic work over the past two days, with barely any rest, and I'm beyond exhausted. Mentally. in the past, I've found that that can be very dangerous."

He all of a sudden looked worried but also determined, hit with yet another reason to take care of his omega. "What do you mean? How dangerous?"

She gave her hand a wave. "All this…it's just left me extremely depleted. Like when you stand out in the cold too long and it compromises your immune system. It's kinda the same thing, except with my mind, my psychic powers. I need to meditate for awhile. I need to replenish my energy, or I could get really sick, or open myself up to a psychic attack. And while I don't think there's anyone out there who could do such a thing right now, I'm not taking any fucking chances, ya know? I might even call my mom to make sure she can psychically guard me until I can pull myself together."

"Okay," he said, with an endearing dedication in his eyes. "Let's do it. Let's call her."

Darcy then thought of something. She felt terrible for him, because of everything she'd shared first with Bucky. Of course, she'd share it all with Steve too, but Bucky would always be first, and there wasn't exactly many things that two people could do together, that was as intimate as bonding. Yet another thing that HYDRA took away from them.

But there was still something that Steve could have, something he could be the first to see. Something so intimate on another level, that only one person had ever witnessed it, and that was her mother. She shared a special bond with her mom, as they were both psychics and mutants, but they were close for other reasons. Darcy knew that her mother would do anything to protect her, and had. The only person in the universe that she trusted to psychically guard her, was her mom. And now…perhaps…Steve as well. As she then felt compelled to put her complete trust in him too.

She bit her lip, and she saw his blue eyes darken. There was a stir at the base of her spine from the sight. They would both have to work on those urges for the time being, if this was going to work. "Well," she began to say. "Maybe you could do it. Guard me. You're not a psychic, but I'm pretty sure you could still handle it. Do you know how to meditate? Did you ever get talked into it by Bruce?"

Steve nodded. "Sure I did. We all did, and for, you know, solidarity. To make him feel more at ease. I'm willing to try anything, Darcy. Anything for you."

She grinned at him, and how unbelievably sweet he could be. So damn sweet. "Okay, cool. But I need my apartment. I need my…well, my meditation room." It was the room she always felt safest in, even safer than her bedroom, as it was where she completely let her mind go. It was filled with everything that was cozy and serene, and even had a special stereo system. She also cleared any potential negative energy in the room daily, using a sage smudge stick.

"Um," Steve said, looking down and blushing…and that little blush endeared him to her so much, that it almost made everything okay. Amost. "I might have um…something you can use here. I mean, I totally understand if you can't, we can go back to your room, of course…but…"

Darcy squinted. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head, obviously suddenly nervous. "Just c'mere," he mumbled, grabbing her hand and taking her down the hall, past his bedroom, and to a little room in the back. He guided them both inside and then turned on a soft low light.

" _Wow_." It was all she could say as she looked around. He'd actually made her a meditation room. A legit meditation room. The walls were draped in cozy tapestries, the floor covered by cushy mats, blankets and pillows. So many pillows. He even had a shelf filled with all manner of incense and holders, candles, and knick knacks for her. Both of her alphas had done a pretty good job of knocking her upside the head with how totally thoughtful and wonderful they could be. She didn't feel as if she deserved them in that moment, and hoped that she could one day make them feel as loved and cared for as they'd made her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes yet again.

"How did you even do all this?"

He gave her his sheepish smile. "Well…Jane. She helped me quite a bit. She picked out a lot of this stuff…just kinda ticked a few boxes on a couple of websites for me. She said that wherever you two went in the world, that you needed a special space, something for yourself, and I wanted you to have one here. I want you to feel at home here, and I had the room."

"Steve," she sighed deeply. "I don't even know what to say."

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything, just come over here and sit down. I want to show you something," he said, holding out his hand. She automatically took it and he pulled her down onto the floor with him, and with all the mats and blankets, it might have been the most comfortable floor she'd ever sat on. She wondered if he'd even covered the whole thing in memory foam.

"Jane also said that your music was very important…so," he said, taking out his phone, and pressing a few buttons. "I had surround-sound put in here. You can access your Spotify account and play anything." Steve then handed her the phone, as he'd brought up the playlist she'd shared with him.

Darcy frowned as she realized that all of her meditation playlists were set to private. She never shared them. Ever. They were way too personal. But there she was, discovering that her fingers were doing the work, putting in codes, swiping through playlists, in order to find them and bring them up for him to hear. She decided to put on her cinematic M83 playlist, as it was the one she'd been playing over and over again for the past few weeks. Darcy pressed the first song and listened as the perfectly crisp and balanced sound bounced around the room, surrounding them.

"Thanks, Steve," she said, in a daze. "You guys…I don't even know. You and Bucky. I mean, I'm speechless, at how thoughtful…I can't," her voice then cracked, on the verge of tears.

"Shh," he reached over and tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear. "We might have gone a little overboard. See…we've both been waiting a long time for you."

It took her a moment to find her voice again. "Thanks for…everything."

He gave her a warm smile that practically made her heart skip a beat. "You're welcome, Darcy. Now, what do I have to do? To help you with your…meditation."

She looked him over and gave a little laugh. "Steve. You're still in uniform. And while that's like, seriously sexy for so many reasons, it doesn't exactly look comfortable for meditating in. Do you want to change?"

He frowned, looking pained, as it was obvious that he didn't want to leave her even for the few minutes it would take for him to throw on different clothes. Steve then decidedly shook his head. "I'm fine, Darcy. The uniform is honestly a lot more comfortable than it looks. It has to be."

"Okay. If you're sure. I mean, you might be sitting here for awhile. I don't know how long this is going to take. It might get boring or whatever, your legs might cramp up or something."

He chuckled softly. "I'm sure, Darcy. I'm a soldier. I've had to sit still for hours far more times than I'd like to remember. Just tell me where you want me."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, so just sit directly in front of me, cross-legged…and put your hands in mine.

Steve got into position and she put her hands on her knees, palms up, and his warm fingers slid right into them. She squeezed his hands slightly and then tried to let her mind fade to a place where she could rest. "Just close your eyes," she said, "and let my energy flow through you. I don't have the strength to do it for you though, so you'll have to keep focused. But you should be familiar enough with connecting psychically with me at this point, that we should be good. We're close right now, and touching, so you should have access."

His mind tentatively brushed with hers. "Okay. I think I've got it."

"And I'm not going to be blocking anything, because I need to let go, in order to get my strength back, so you'll have complete access to my mind. I'll be totally vulnerable. I'm trusting you with this…the only other person who's done this for me, is my mom."

He squeezed her hands. "I promise that I won't look anywhere that you don't want me to go."

Darcy nodded and began to feel his warm and protective energy surround her, keeping her safe, like she needed…but there was something nagging at the edges. She looked further and saw that Steve felt a little hurt, though he didn't want to be. He'd tried to stuff it down. And she couldn't let the feeling stay there between them if they were going to do this.

He had felt a sting when it was mentioned that she'd permanently frozen the doctor. First by Wade on the plane, while they were communicating over the comms, and then by Bucky back at his apartment. Steve had once asked her what the extent of her abilities were, and she'd never mentioned freezing internal organs. He felt as if Bucky and Wade knew her a lot better than he did, was more connected to her, and it broke his heart a little.

"Steve," she said, opening her eyes. "I didn't lie to you. Everything I told you was the truth, I just left out a few things. I wasn't…ready."

He opened his eyes, too. "I know," he said with a sad smile.

"When you asked me what was the longest I'd ever frozen something, what I said was true. It was a coyote. It's the longest hold on something I ever had. Freezing a heart is permanent…but it only takes a minute or so, not even that, really. And then you let go," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Darcy."

"I was afraid that you'd both fear me if you knew that I could freeze hearts. Basically kill someone with my mind. I don't want _anyone_ to know that. I don't want to be able to _do_ that. I don't feel… _good_ about it. It's not one of those cool powers like controlling metal or possessing a healing factor that will let you survive a nuclear blast. It's fucked up, I mean, it's… _death_. But I'm glad that I was able to do that for Bucky. It's scary…how glad I am."

He squeezed her hands tight. "Me too. I'm glad, too. But listen. You are not your powers. They are a part of you, yeah, but that's not who you are. You are Darcy. It's the person behind the power that wields it...that's what matters. I learned that a long time ago. Nothing could make me fear you or turn my back on you. I almost said this while we were on the phone earlier, but I didn't. And I regret it. But I'm gonna say it now. _I love you_ , Darcy. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could change that."

She smiled at him, letting the feeling of it sink in, letting it bring her peace, along with the peace she felt just by simply being near him, touching him. "I love you too."

He slowly leaned over and gave her lips the barest of touches with his, in a totally chaste, and yet totally hot, kiss.

He sat up quickly. "But right now, I know you need your strength. I can feel it, Darcy. It feels like…like you haven't slept in days or eaten anything, though I know you have. And like you just ran a marathon, but…with your mind, if that makes sense."

Darcy gave a short laugh. "Yep. That's pretty much spot on. Okay. I'mma do this."

He gave her a reassuring nod. "I've got you."

She closed her eyes again, believing him. He had her. She then drifted away in meditation, focusing only on her breathing, and letting go of everything. Trusting. And then the strangest thing happened.

It only felt like minutes, but it could have been hours, as time was a funny thing when she went to that space that was only her, in deep meditation. She didn't even know if time existed there at all. Darcy had always thought of it as an actual place, and more specifically, a well. Her well. Filled with all her secrets and everything she'd been, along with everything she ever would be, all at once. Sometimes she'd uncover truths there, or they were revealed in some way, and by who, she didn't know, and didn't contemplate. Other times, she simply went in order to rest, to turn off the constant chatter in her mind for awhile. To feel the peace and serenity within, and to understand what was real again, as all of her carefully crafted cynicism was able to melt away. The problems and nagging worries of everyday life, the noise and the trivialities of it all, were not actually real. This was real. As was love. It was real. And that love revealed something to her.

Deep in the well she could see a light, Steve's light. Perhaps his aura, perhaps not, but it was his energy. A soft blue light. Steadfast, never wavering, never flickering. She reached out to touch it, but not with a hand or fingers, as those things didn't exist here. Here they were only energy, only vibration. She touched his light with hers. And as her potential alpha, it felt as if he was able to instantly recharge her in an intense and extremely pleasurable jolt.

Darcy opened her eyes with a gasp and saw that Steve was looking at her with the same shocked expression that she must have had. She barely registered that it was now fully dark outside, the lights of the city flickering in the background through the windows. The music was still playing in the background, soft and atmospheric…and as its sound flowed around them, she noticed light momentarily bounce across Steve's face, along with distant thunder. Lightning. A storm was coming.

"Darcy," he said, on the verge of outright panting, his voice a bit rough from not using it in awhile. "Can we? Now?"

Whatever it was that had happened, it had given her more energy than a few shots of espresso, a red bull, and a line of coke, combined…but with none of the drawbacks or side effects. Her heart didn't feel like it was about to explode, as it often did after downing a bunch of caffeine. She somehow felt completely chill, and yet ready to run a marathon. Except not with her mind this time, but with her actual fucking body. And with the remnants of her heat still floating on the surface, she desperately needed to burn off that energy. _Bad_.

If the look Steve was giving her was any indication, it seemed as if he felt the exact same way.

"Yeah. We totally can. _Now_ ," she desperately nodded and climbed into his lap, already trying to figure out how to get him out of his uniform, their hands frantically searching, arms wrapping around each other.

"Fuck yeah, now."


	15. White Chocolate Lightning Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Steve have a bit of a bonding moment between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Am so happy to be finally posting this today. Okay, so this chapter picks up pretty much right after we left off. Sorry for the delay, we were both kinda kicked in the ass lately with the whole life thing ;-) 
> 
> Also, sorry for breaking y'all with the last installment. We never actually set out to torture, and yet ... 
> 
> Hopefully this is a bit of a balm. Don't worry, we are not straight-up sadists (usually). So there's no way either of us can keep Bucky asleep for long. Just no way ;-)

Darcy ran her hands around the fabric over Steve’s chest, frantically searching for anything that might resemble a zipper, or buttons, or some kind of fastener in order to get his uniform off, but couldn’t find anything. There was barely any light as it had been dialed down, just a very soft, golden glow illuminating them, almost like candlelight. Every minute or so, a blinding flash of white would sweep across the room, as the storm and its lightning drew closer. But it wasn’t the lack of light that had Darcy stumped, it was the design of the damn uniform, as whoever made the thing, obviously had a sense of humor, or was a rampant sadist, one of those things.

She drew back from Steve, who had his face buried in her neck, hands tight around her hips as she sat in his lap, straddling him. “This damn uniform is a cockblocker, Steve. I can’t even right now. I used to think it was hot as fuck, but now I’m starting to resent it a little.”

He chuckled as he sat up, his cheeks flushed, his smile warm. “It takes some getting used to. All the zippers are hidden. Something Tony said about clean lines. I’ll get it in a sec...but first…” he said, as his hands dipped under her shirt and glided up her back, until he was lightly tugging on the garment. Darcy took the hint and raised her arms, helping him slip it off of her. She hadn’t bothered with a bra, and the action left her nude from the waist up.

A strangled growl rose up from Steve’s throat as he caught sight of her naked breasts, and his mouth and hands were instantly on them, making her moan, the pleasure of it momentarily compelling her forget about any damn zippers.

“Mmmmm...you like those?” she asked breathily.

His only answer was an intense deep rumble in his chest that sent her skin vibrating. When she could feel his teeth ever so gently biting a nipple, while his tongue flicked over it, the gravity of the moment hit her. She was about to complete the bond with him, and she was inevitably about to fuck Captain America. The thought made her wonder if she should have done anything special first, like recite the pledge of allegiance, or wear a special dress, like you do at your first communion. Was this not a sacred act, afterall? She grinned at the thought as her fingers threaded through his hair, urging him on in his exploration of her bare skin, especially that whole part with his teeth.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, as he lay one more soft kiss on her breast before sitting back and lifting her up off of him in order to set her on the floor. She was about to open her mouth and protest, as she didn’t want to stop touching him for even a second, but she soon realized that he was standing up in order to take his uniform off. First, he bent over and pulled his boots free and then began to run fingers down an invisible seam at the side, finding the first zipper and then deftly finding the others. He had it off in record time, or at least a lot quicker than she could have ever done, and he was all of a sudden standing in front of her in nothing but boxer briefs. They certainly didn’t leave much to the imagination either, as she could see exactly how aroused he was, his erection pushing against the fabric. Steve Rogers was certainly a sight to behold, and she was momentarily dumbstruck. What girl wouldn’t be? He looked like he had been sculpted by one of the Renaissance masters, except for the fact that they usually made their biblical subjects lacking in the whole nether area. But not Steve...nope, definitely not Steve.

And with the subtle golden glow of the light softly touching his skin, she found herself wondering if she wasn’t looking at a work of art. Men’s bodies could certainly be beautiful, but women were the ones with the lush curves and soft swells, the type of form that artists loved to sketch...but Steve’s body...holy shit, Steve’s body. His shoulders and biceps were unreal, and the v-shape of his torso had her practically weeping and wondering what in the hell she did in a past life to warrant this. She must have saved thousands of children from a burning building or something. Or maybe she’d invented some life-saving medicine, who knew at that point, and she didn't care. And on top of it all, he was staring down at her, not with some arrogant expression that most guys with his kind of physique would have, but with a shy and tentative half-smile. It was like he was silently asking her, “is this okay? Am I okay? Am I enough?”

She opened her mouth to say something, but it didn’t seem as if her brain was quite working at the moment. “Ha,” she laughed, and then blushed red in embarrassment. She tried to concentrate, and will her mouth to say something coherent. It almost worked. “I mean, um...I don’t think you really need those, Cap,” she said, waving a hand at his boxer-briefs.

He grinned, relaxing his face. “You first,” he replied with a nod of his head, challenging her.

Darcy smirked and raised a brow, as she scooted back and onto one of the cozier blankets. She briefly wondered if they should be having sex on the floor, but then realized that with all the mats and cushions, it was actually more comfortable than a lot of the beds she’d slept on. She hooked her thumbs under her sweatpants and began to slide them down over her thighs and then her knees, keeping eye contact with Steve the whole time. When she had them off, she leaned back on her elbows, displaying her body for him, one foot casually crossed over the other. She wasn’t sure she painted quite the renaissance picture that Steve did, but from the expression on his face, she gathered that he definitely liked what he saw. His eyes were dark, black with desire, and he was breathing heavily, making shadows and golden highlights move fluidly over his chest.

He took a deep breath and did the same thing she had, sliding thumbs into his boxer-briefs and drawing them down, bending forward and taking them all the way off. When he straightened back up, the shy expression was back on his face, though she couldn’t understand for the life of her why. He was...fucking _gorgeous_. She blinked up at him, and could have sworn that she heard a symphony, a great crescendo in an operatic seduction scene, but then realized it was just the ambient tunes from her meditation playlist. At least they had a decent soundtrack to their first time. Then the truth hit her again... _their first time_. She was going to have sex with Steve. Steven Grant Rogers. Captain America. The Greatest American Hero … or was that some other guy? In a red suit … not a blue one?

_Oh, WHO CARES, pull yourself together!_

Darcy bit down on her lip, trying to calm her nerves and wayward thoughts. This was just so different than her encounter with Bucky. She would have probably had the same kind of apprehension with him if the situation had been similar to this one, but their bonding, while amazing and earth-shattering, was one of necessity. There was the emotion and excitement of having him back, the relief of his arms around her and not being strapped in a HYDRA chair. There was the frantic need from rut and heat. Then there was the precious time they had to each other, back in his room. The crazed energy they needed to burn when they first got back to the tower, and then the hours spent learning each other’s bodies, their bond sealing further, until she felt as if parts of their souls were wrapped and twined around each other.

Steve needed his time too...he deserved his time, as did she with him. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a longing deep inside her for all three of them to be together, and that would happen. Once they broke through Bucky’s Sputnik programming, she would have both her Alphas, and the bond would be complete...all circuits linked in the way she was craving. Yet in another part of her, Darcy knew that Steve needed this, needed to feel intrinsically connected to her again.

She hungrily glanced at the grooves along his hips. They had several names…Apollo’s Belt, Iliac Furrow...but all her lust-addled mind could come up with at the time was “dirty sexy motherfucking lines she wanted to run her tongue over”. She almost got up on her knees so that she could do just that, and then worship at his rock-hard beautiful cock, the way it deserved to be worshipped, but before she could, he was the one that dropped to his knees. He then crawled over her, and she was suddenly very aware that they were both naked, absolutely nothing in the way, just the two of them laid bare. She reclined onto her back, loving how it felt to have him above her, on top of her. It was tender and yet demanding, all of that strength hovering right over her.

Steve searched her face with his blue eyes, at this point looking like the bottom of the ocean, dark and deep, and perhaps not explored by many. Darcy then realized that she could sense his emotions. Maybe it was just the potential bond that had been growing stronger and stronger, or perhaps she could do it because of the energy they’d shared during meditation, but this was different from before, when she could feel him through her bond with Bucky. This was a direct line, and Steve felt very nervous, as he desperately wanted her to be comfortable with him...and he didn’t want to disappoint her, knowing that she’d already bonded Bucky, who was much more experienced than he was.

Darcy reached up and touched his cheek, trying to send him all the love and desire she felt for him, and he closed his eyes, sighing, lowering himself and settling at her side. “Is this actually happening?” he asked, his voice a little rough.

She gave a little laugh. “I know. I can barely believe it myself.”

“You want this?” He asked, opening his eyes. “You’re sure?”

She grinned over at him. “So sure. How ‘bout you?”

He laughed, as if she’d asked a stupid question. “I was sure the moment I saw you for the first time, I just couldn’t for the life of me, believe that someone so beautiful, was meant for me.”

Darcy put a hand over her heart. “Ouch, Steve. Right in the feels. At least I’m already lying down, because I’m pretty sure I swooned a little just then. Otherwise I might have fallen, and given myself a concussion, then where would we be?” she teased.

“Hm. Then I’m glad I have you here right next to me,” he said, brushing a hand over her belly. “You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about this. Or how often, over the past few days, the night of our date ran through my mind...and how your gorgeous lips were wrapped around my… Well, it drove me crazy. I had to…” he trailed off, slightly ducking his head.

She gave him a crooked grin. “What? You had to _what_ , Steve?”

He blushed. “Um …”

“Show me.”

His eyes widened. “Show you?”

Darcy nodded. If he couldn’t say the words, then she wanted visual confirmation. “Show me.”

His brow furrowed, obviously uncomfortable. “Um.”

She reached up to brush his cheek. “It’s okay. I want you to show me. And if it makes you feel better, I’ll show you what I do when I think of you, when I’m lying in bed at night. Alone. All by myself.”

He gave her a bashful smile while he contemplated, but slowly lowered his hand until he had it lightly wrapped around his cock. She watched the whole time, and the sight of it, unleashed an intense throb between her legs, and she could feel herself becoming even more wet than she already was, and needing something to happen soon. No, _now_.

“Show me,” she whispered again.

Steve slowly began to move his hand up and down his length, gradually gaining speed. She memorized the picture of it, the tightness of his grip, how he liked to do it, twisting on the way up, his thumb sweeping across the underside of the head. His face went slack as he stared back at her under hooded eyes, obviously totally turned on by what was happening, letting her watch. She then couldn’t handle it anymore, the arousal from the sight of it had her practically shaking with need, and she slowly inched her hand between her legs as well, in order to give herself a tiny bit of relief. She dipped fingers into her own silky wetness and groaned, arching her neck, her body stretching in pleasure. It was something that she desperately needed.

He gave a feral growl as he witnessed the whole thing, and grabbed her hand by the wrist, bringing it up to his lips. Steve then ran his tongue over her fingertips and closed his mouth around them, sucking, needing to taste her. That only made the arousal worse, and with the remnants of her heat still radiating within her, she felt like she was going to lose her damn mind if they didn’t get on with it.

He then brought her fingers out of his mouth and slowly moved on top of her. “Spread your legs for me,” he commanded softly, some of the bashfulness he’d had fading away in the haze of Alpha instincts.

Darcy did as she was told, and he kissed his way down her body, until he reached the apex of her thighs, where he nuzzed his face into the crease there. He’d obviously gone a few days without shaving, the short stubble prickly along her oversensitive flesh. He then sat up a bit, and ran his hands over the skin of her belly, bringing them down between her legs, and spreading her legs even further apart. She was breathing heavily in anticipation, and just when she thought she was going to spontaneously combust, he ducked his head and ran his tongue flat along her, until he reached her clit, teasing it with soft and wet slow little circles. She stretched her arms up over her head as she cried out, the pleasure from his intimate exploration permeating throughout her body. For someone who was so nervous about his lack of experience, he sure as hell seemed to know what he was doing.

She glanced down between her legs to see Steve working her over, never taking his eyes off her, needing to memorize her every reaction to gauge and learn what to keep doing. What she liked. And the look on his face was about the hottest damn thing she’d ever seen, like he couldn’t get enough. She ran a hand down her body and tangled her fingers in his hair, lightly tugging at the roots, and trying to convey how good it felt. He gave a delicious moan and squeezed the backs of her thighs with his hands, increasing the pressure his tongue. But just as she could feel a climax beginning to make its ascent, he started to move his attention upwards, placing soft kisses at regular intervals on her stomach. She wanted to scream in frustration, but decided to let him do his thing and go slow. For at least a minute or two, anyway.

As Steve lazily made it back to her breasts and closed his mouth over a nipple, she’d had about all she could take. She wanted him so badly, the remnants of her heat bubbling to the surface, and taking over.

This drove her to partake in some very un-Omega-like behaviour. She started pushing at his chest, signaling that she wanted to roll over. Darcy wasn’t about to lay there and beg. She was done with all that. She’d had enough and wanted to be on top of him. There was just something about him that made her want to take the reins. She wanted to debauche him. Break down all that careful control of his, all the manners, all the old-fashioned sensibilities. She wanted to render him helpless to desire, so he had no other choice than to go full-out Alpha and fuck her brains out. No inhibitions.

His expression was momentarily confused when she sat up, but when she threw a leg over his and began to straddle him, he seemed to catch on, grinning. And as much as Darcy loved that grin of his, she wanted to wipe it right off his face and replace it with the facial expression of a man who was totally wrecked with sexual anticipation. Give him some of his own medicine for a while.

Darcy lightly ran her fingertips from his pecs to his abs, but right at about his bellybutton she switched to nails, dragging them down the grooves of his hips and to the very male patch of hair surrounding his cock. He groaned as she brushed her hand right at the base of his shaft, but she didn’t go any further. Instead she swept her hair back behind her shoulders, as her dark waves had surrounded her face and covered her breasts, and by lifting her arms up to get her unruly locks out of the way, she arched her back in such a way that had him grasping at her curves, needing to get his hands on her.

And there it was … the look of desperation on his face, as if he was almost in pain, but not quite. She could feel his cock right on her inner thigh, all she’d have to do is shift slightly and it would all finally begin … but she figured, what was the hurry. She had all the time in the world to wreck him. They both had the whole night to themselves in a space that reminded her of the inside of a genie’s bottle … if the genie had all the latest in sound and mood lighting technology, that is. And then there was the storm that was imminent, the lightening and thunder more frequent, moving closer.

One of the things she always took away from meditation was the reminder to be present, as that was all anyone really had. The present moment. Darcy took the time to open her senses and really be present with Steve. Feeling how his naked skin felt on hers, how his strength and hard planes of his body contrasted with her softness and curves, how they complimented each other. Watching the pleasure on his face as she laid soft kisses on his abdomen, tasting his skin, inhaling his male scent, and listening to the devastatingly hot sounds he made as she finally dipped her head lower to run her tongue along his cock, from base to tip. And then there was a sixth sense at work here as well, as the energy they’d shared seemed to already be putting the bond in place, preparing it. She could feel him … and he was almost at the end of his tether. His fingertips were digging into her hips and his breathing was coming in fast and heavy. Darcy had about three seconds before Steve was going to overpower her, turn her around, and slam right into her.

So in one … two … seconds she rose up and slowly slid down around him, lowering herself as she spread her thighs, taking him inside. Darcy made sure to watch his face the whole time, and he kept eye contact with her until those last few inches when he filled her most of the way. Then he slammed his eyes shut and gave a harsh groan, his hips thrusting up into her, hitting a spot so sweet, she threw her head back and cried out. She took a moment to adjust to him and looked down to see Steve wide-eyed, almost shocked, at just how fucking good the penetration felt. “ _Fuck_ ,” he whispered, sounding as if he were drowning. “Darcy.”

“I know,” she breathed, as she started to move, slowly beginning to move her hips, and letting herself get used to him before going faster. She moaned at the feeling of him filling and stretching her, leading to a beautiful ache that demanded more. “ _God_ … I know.” She then smiled slowly, as a thought ran across her mind.

_I’m actually fucking Captain America._

As she started to raise the tempo of her hips and press onto him harder, his hands clutched at her thighs and he began to tremble, as if he was desperately trying to hold himself back...but that’s definitely not what she wanted. The amazing thing, she realized now here, and before with Bucky, was that they were two people having sex. and yet they could actually sense what the other one was feeling, which created perfect conditions for absolutely mind-blowing lovemaking. They were all made for each other. Nothing ever had and nothing ever would or could, compare to this.

She knew he was trying his damndest to let her take the lead when every single fiber in his being was telling him to dominate, and he was doing it only because he thought it was what she wanted.

Darcy stilled above him. “You need to be in control?”

“Nnnnng,” was his only reply, as he thrust his hips up into her.

She gave him a grin. “Take it.”

There was a flash in his eyes and Steve instantly obeyed. It was as if she’d commanded him, but what she’d really done was give him the consent to fully tune into his Alpha instincts, the ones that had been flowing through his veins for a hundred years with no release. Steve rose up, shifting onto his knees while pulling her into his lap in one fluid movement. The effortless way he did it without breaking their connection, sent heat shimmering down Darcy's spine. He then used the momentum to switch them so he was on top, gently laying her on her back beneath him. It was all so sudden that it took her breath away, witnessing exactly how strong and in control of his body he was, so that he could do things like lift her as if she weighed nothing, and yet could also use those muscles and power to be so gentle and tender as well.

He started to move above her, tentatively at first, and then eventually thrusting in and out while being totally uninhibited in the sounds he was making, as every push was met with an almost boyish and bitten-off moan. Darcy let go as well, letting him lead her, as if in a dance, moving along with his rhythm until it was _their_ rhythm.

All the while, the storm continued around them. Darcy could hear the rain pounding outside, the lightning flashing through room for seconds at a time. It brought her attention to the windows and she turned her head to see their reflection in them. She could see the rise and fall of his perfectly sculpted ass as he thrust inside of her, the graceful flexing of the muscles of his back, the planes and lines of his body all working together to give him the most exquisite and precise control. And the sight of their coupling put her exactly at that moment when climax was inevitable.

She looked up at him, at the unbelievable pleasure on his face and his closed eyes. “Steve … so...so close.”

His eyes flew open. “No, not yet,” he commanded softly.

Darcy groaned at his Alpha order, spoken with complete authority despite it being barely above a whisper. On one hand, it was hot as fuck, being with Steve as he took control and allowed himself to dominate, but on the other hand … holding back was going to be hard.

She could then sense why he didn’t want it to be over quite yet. There was something else at work here, his primitive instincts telling him to go as deep as he could within her in order to fully claim her and bond. And yet he was warring with himself for some reason. She could only guess that the Alpha inside was telling him to put her on all fours and take her from behind, but the emotional human side wanted to watch her face as she came, wanted her to be able to wrap her arms around him as he buried his teeth into her neck.

“Put my legs on your shoulders,” she suggested through breathy pants.

It took him a minute to work out what she was implying, but then adjusted their position so that her calves rested on his shoulders. He was then able to angle her hips up so that he could thrust into her as deep as he could go. She cried out as he hit a spot that was rarely hit, and he gave a low and gravelly moan. “ _Fuck_. Yesssssssss.”

And when he realized this would quell his need, he began to pound into her hard, though never clumsily, never breaking contact or rhythm, always in precise control of his movements. Darcy was really thinking that sex with super soldiers was definitely the way to go.

She was then the one who was fighting for control, as her whole entire body was telling her to come...all except the ancient part that needed to do as she was told. Darcy of course, rarely gave into that instinct, but with Steve and Bucky, she knew she was absolutely safe, and it turned out to be the sweetest of surrenders. But sweet or no, she began to tremble, and Steve felt gravity of it, how hard she was fighting it off, and with his need sated, he took her legs from his shoulders and let them wrap around his hips. He angled himself to that he hit her exactly where she needed, and slowed to a more leisurely and less punishing pace, so he could really look at her. Watch as she fell apart and bared her neck to him.

Soon, they were both ready to break. “Come with me, baby,” he whispered into her ear.

They both fell together. He spilled over inside of her while her muscles rippled in orgasm around his cock. Her neck arched, automatically opening herself to him and he began to swell, just as he lowered himself to sink Alpha canines into her offered skin. They both suddenly felt it, the surge of energy that was finally able to flow through their Triumvirate bond. One part was certainly muted, but it was still there, and everything, all of the parts necessary were finally put into place. Steve and Bucky had their connection and so did Darcy and Bucky...but now that there was Steve and Darcy, the bond was finally able to even out, so that it was now strong and unbreakable.

Steve groaned into her neck and Darcy practically screamed as the orgasm and completion shook through their bodies. He collapsed on top of her, gone was the careful control he’d mastered over his body over the years. She could sense his thoughts as he lay there panting, finally knowing what it felt like to swell inside a woman, with her tight and wet heat wrapped around him, stretching her to the limits, the pleasure and ache mixed perfectly together. And just as he’d wanted, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, almost cradling him, as they soaked it all in. The bond, newly formed, making all the final connections, their energy now melded to one another. And the vision he’d had back in the beginning, the one he mistakenly let her see, when she’d been in his head that first time, came true. The site of Darcy spent, sated, and with two bite marks, one Bucky’s, one his. It was complete.

They both breathed in silence for a moment, listening to the now light rain on the windows and the mellow music that was still playing. The storm had calmed and the sounds outside were soothing, relaxing, and it lulled them into an almost meditative state, like before. They were able to melt together, the pleasure of the moment leading them to witness other pleasures throughout their lives. Both mundane and thrilling. Darcy and Jane lying in lawn chairs in the desert next to a small fire, gazing up at the stars. Steve and Bucky in an art class, Steve’s sketch expressing a real understanding of the woman model with lush and confident lines, while Bucky’s was basically a stick drawing. Darcy laughing as she ran along a well-worn pathway and then jumping from a precipice and into the turquoise water of a lagoon below. Steve diving out of a plane, the rush he felt as the air raced by his ears. Shared memories of past pleasure continued until he was able to slip out of her and he rolled onto his back, his arm over his heart, as if it were about to burst free.

Darcy took a deep breath. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” he abruptly laughed, before he sat up and bent over to lick at his bitemark and to kiss her, gently at first, and then demanding as if he was ready to go again. Darcy felt it too, as there was a certain energy buzzing around them, but she needed to catch her breath for a second. She pushed at his chest signaling for him to stop and he froze, looking at her with concern. “You alright?”

She smiled. “Yeah, totally. It’s just…are you hungry? Because I am _starving_.”

“Ummm.” He frowned, not expecting her to say that at all. A grin then slowly formed on his face, as he realized what kind of vibe was surrounding them. It was a lighthearted and almost giddy feeling, as if they were high on something, but their awareness was totally solid. And there was definitely a hunger underneath all of that, yet it actually didn’t have anything to do with sex. “You know, food sounds like a great idea.”

The rest of the evening was spent trying to get creative with the contents of Steve’s pantry and of course, getting creative with each other...on the kitchen counter. Then after talking Sputnik strategy over dessert, which happened to consist of a roll of cookie dough and two spoons, Darcy was dying for a hot shower. Steve walked her into his bathroom where he then proceeded to fuck her against the tiles, until he slumped against them himself, totally spent.

After their bonding-high wore off, Darcy felt utterly exhausted and her eyes began to close as she was standing next to him in the shower. He turned the water off and swooped her up into his arms. At first she protested, as she could take care of herself, but he put a finger to her lips.

“Let me take care of you,” he whispered into her ear.

She nodded and let him dry her off before he put her in his incredibly soft and warm bed. Mostly warm because of his body spooned up against her, as she fell into a much-needed deep sleep.

Of course, there was the time she woke up to him nuzzling her neck, licking his bite-mark there, and she felt compelled to let him finally give into his instinct and turn her around to fuck her from behind, while she gripped the headboard. And then there was a moment just before dawn when she woke up sprawled across his chest. She had to straddle him, wake him, and this time, ride him to completion. And he didn’t seem to mind at all, as he’d suddenly been hit with what he’d been missing for years, and had felt as if he had a lot of time and fucking to make up for.

It was like a dam had broken inside of him and he couldn’t get enough. At first it was a thought that gave Darcy a thrill of anticipation, at imagining all the hours and days ahead of her, exploring with Steve, but then knew that there would also be Bucky. She then began to feel a little nervous for what was around the corner. Two at the same time? Fucking hell. Two super soldier libidos to endure? She was either the luckiest woman alive or she was about to be the most exhausted woman alive. Only time would tell. She was totally looking forward to finding out the answer though.

_Bring it._

The final time she woke, the sun had definitely risen, though not quite enough, as far as she was concerned. But it wasn’t to Steve nuzzling her neck, or to an urge to go for a ride on Captain America…nope, this time she woke up to Sam Wilson barging into the room.

She was lying on top of Steve, still in her spent position from their last encounter, when she felt him jolt awake and reach for a sheet to cover her with.

“Christ, Sam!” he growled. “What the hell!”

“Hey, now don’t you go gettin’ all Alpha on me, Mr. Love Boat Captain. You have Super Siri turned off in your room and you ain’t answering your phone. And now I got Catman calling me up, because apparently he doesn’t have anyone else’s number.”

Darcy rolled off of Steve, clutching the sheet to her chest. She needed about, oh, 20 hours more sleep, but she was now awake, knowing the situation probably had to do with Bucky’s deprogramming. “It’s okay, Sam. He probably turned Friday off so I could get some sleep.”

“I did,” Steve said, sitting up further and grabbing another blanket for himself. “And you needed it. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she said, though she knew it was a bit of a lie. And Steve knew it was a bit of a lie as well, their bond now letting them be completely in tune with each other. She wrapped her cover around her body and stood up off the bed, ready to walk into the bathroom. “I’m fine,” Darcy said again. “I promise. I’m just going to need to sleep for a week after we get everything figured out.”

Steve nodded, though he didn’t look convinced.

Sam interrupted his thoughts. “Catman is tryin' to call you, Cap. Turn your damn phone on.”

He frowned. “T’Challa?”

Wilson gave a click of his tongue. “Man...now what other grown-ass man goes around wearin’ a shiny black suit with claws and pointy ears. Yes, T’Challa.”

Darcy giggled. “I feel like there’s not much love lost between you and the King.”

“Yeah, well, he ain’t my king. My king didn’t go around, gettin’ his ass involved in shit, all dressed up like a kitten.”

“We don’t have a king,” Steve said, blinking and still looking sleepy.

Sam only glared at him.

Steve held out his hands. “Okay! Okay … I’m sorry, Sam. Now let us get dressed?”

Sam crossed his arms, raising a brow. “Nah, I’m not goin' anywhere until you call that man. Phone’s right there,” he said, nodding to the dormant device on Steve’s bedside table.

Steve was about ready to protest when Darcy gave a wave of her hand. “It’s fine Steve, call him. I’m gonna take a quick shower, okay?” she said, before disappearing into his bathroom and shutting the door, before he had anything to say about it.

Darcy looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled at the twin bite-marks on her neck, both strangely and beautifully in the same place on either side. But then she saw the dark circles under her eyes. She knew she wasn’t feeling exactly right, but decided to push through the fatigue. She could do it for Bucky.

She’d push through for Bucky.

And then she’d sleep for a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XXXX
> 
> Easter eggs for the chapter can be read [here](http://anniemar.tumblr.com/post/150673198772/easter-eggs). If you're into that sorta thing ;-)


	16. Lost and Not Quite Found Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a lost memory begins to surface, and the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the solution everyone was hoping for...especially not Bucky, Darcy, and Steve...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!!! Sorry this took a little bit to get out. All kinds of non-fic related stuff was going on behind the scenes. HOWEVER, we are one step closer to saving Bucky now, and he's not going to go back in cryo again, so YAY!
> 
> ****************************************************

To Bucky’s great relief, Wade was quiet on the walk down to medical. He had his mask off, and the ravaged lines of his face pulled into a look of sympathy that grew with every step they took. 

“She’s with Rogers?” he finally asked when they hit the floor medical was on.

“Yeah, Steve’s got her,” Bucky answered.

“I’m not going to ask if you’re okay.”

“Then I won’t have to tell you that I’m not.”

Wade nodded, chewing thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, I figured that. Are you’re still…”

“In rut? Yeah.”

“Wow.” He paused a moment, shaking his head, and then turned back to Bucky. “Those _assholes_. Fuck HYDRA, man. Fuck them right up the ass with a harpoon.”

“Thanks,” Bucky said again, the word echoing hollowly in his ears. Every step further away from Darcy was a battle for him. Each door that swung shut between them broke him a little more. He began to regret insisting that she not come along, anything was better than being without her. Even knowing she would watch him being iced. 

He couldn’t take it. Not again. Not...not after he knew what it was like to be bonded to her, that feeling of being whole, and connected. It was everything, and in a few short seconds he would be taking it away from them both. It was the same for Darcy. The ache inside her from being separated from him was deepening with every passing second. It thrummed through their bond painfully.

“Heeeeey, maybe take a breath there, Cowboy. You’re gonna pop a gasket or something.” Bucky glanced over at Wade, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. The other man just gestured at his arm, brow knitted in concern. “Seriously. An actual gasket. I mean, I’m just guessing your arm has those, but still, that can’t be good for the hydraulics. You may want to take it down a notch.”

It was then that Bucky realized he’d been clenching and unclenching his hand into a fist over and over as they walked. Each time the rapid-fire pistoning of his plates shifting along his arm reverberated through the hallway. He forced himself to stop, fingers flattening out against this thigh.

“Sorry,” he said. “I can feel her. You know? I can feel her hurting for me. And how she’s worrying, and how much she wants me back. That doesn’t make this any easier.”

“No need to apologize. I once ran a guy over with a zamboni when I was having a relationship crisis. Such a satisfying crunch. And the screaming…” Wade gazed dreamily into the distance, until he noticed the look on Bucky’s face. “Oh the guy deserved it. Trust me. Someday ask me to tell you the story of Francis the Mega-Watt Shithead, and His Equally Shitty Fleet of Douchcanoe Friends.”

“Long title,” Bucky remarked.

“Long story,” Deadpool replied. “The short version is that I ended up with this…” He waved his hand around his face like a game show host showing off a prize. “...and Francis ended up dead.”

“Dead, huh?”

“Well, he took my Vanessa. You know how that is. Guy takes your life away, and _then_ adds insult to injury by kidnapping the woman you love into the bargain.”

Bucky frowned, he had no idea Wade was with anyone. Not that he had asked, but the way the guy acted he never would have guessed either. “You have an Alpha?”

“Nope. I have a Beta, and what a Beta she is. We’re still looking for an Alpha, but sadly Thor is off the market. Oh well. When it happens, it happens.” He shrugged.

Of all the things Bucky thought he’d be discussing on his way to go back under cryo, Wade’s love life definitely wasn’t on the list. It was a distraction, anyway. 

They reached the door moments later. Cho and her team could be seen through the glass, already preparing the chamber for him. He didn’t want to do this. Every muscle in his body contracted, freezing him on the opposite side of the door. Wade stopped too, watching him with mute compassion.

“I hate this,” Bucky said, the words gritting out between his teeth. “The cold...the... The feeling that I might wake up on the wrong side of things again.”

“Well, I can promise you that won’t happen,” Wade told him. “Nobody is taking away one of my Kitty-cat’s Alpha doggies. Not while I’m on watch. I’m ready to slice and dice if necessary. Just picture a human Slap Chop, but filled with intense anger and no pesky scruples to get in the way of the vengeance.”

It wasn’t exactly the comfort he was looking for, but Bucky supposed it was better than nothing. He pushed the door open, Deadpool following on his heels as he walked in the room.

“Sergeant Barnes,” Helen Cho said, nodding towards the gurney in the middle of the room. “I’ll need to get your vitals first.”

It was a short process. Bucky spent the time fighting back the turmoil inside. He was doing it for Darcy as much as himself. The last thing he wanted was to transmit all of that across their bond just before he went under. Same with Steve. What they needed now was to find comfort in each other, not be crippled with guilt. Bucky could give them that at least.

Dr. Cho finished her examination, and pulled the stethoscope from her ears. “We’re ready when you are, Sergeant. Do you need me to explain the process?”

Bucky had to suppress a bitter laugh at her question. He’d had seventy years of becoming well-acquainted with the goddamn ‘process’. The truth was that he probably knew it far better than she ever could. None of that was her fault, though. So he just swallowed his bitterness, and gave her a simple, “No.”

The chamber was the same type he’d used in Wakanda. There was a disconcerting type of familiarity as each strap was tightened across his body, preparing to hold him place for when he was unconscious. Bucky forced himself to breathe through it. There was a sharp click when the chamber closed. Then cold, intense and biting, began to pour into the air around him.

He had maybe three seconds left. Three seconds where he tried to focus on anything else. Three seconds where he held onto Darcy and Steve as hard as he could until they disappeared like so much mist as he went under.

That was something Bucky had never told Steve. He’d never told anyone, really. When he was under, there was nothing. Not thought. Not dreams. He simply ceased to exist. Then he would wake up, disoriented and in pain from his thawing limbs. There was no chance to fight. No way to escape his handlers as they dragged him down to be wiped. He’d be strapped in. Pinned down. And the words. The words, piercing his skull, tearing through his mind, wiping him away again.

It was torture every time. He just kept telling himself that this time, like the time in Wakanda, he was doing it to protect the people he loved. When he woke up, it wouldn’t be to HYDRA, but to them. That was his final thought before his brain activity faded into static, and then nothing.

Bucky had no idea how long he was under, but when he finally came to, it was his bond, and not his blurry vision that he focused on. He wasn’t even fully conscious yet, but he could feel them...feel _her_. Darcy was somewhere near. Steve was too. Bright threads spanning the grey expanse that was his mind waking up. 

His brain began to supply images, memories of them mixed with various points in his life. Everything was jumbled and out of order. A brief flash of him and Steve crashing into the concierge desk at the tower the first time they spotted Darcy, merged with a theater lobby in 1938. He was buying popcorn for him and Steve, but Darcy was somehow there too, smiling up at him. It looked like she was about to speak, but the memories shifted, now Darcy was working on their truck, a smudge of grease across one cheek. 

She asked for a socket wrench, but as Bucky leaned down to get it for her, the toolbox changed into a dully green canvas bag full of weapons. His hand closed around a gun instead. The next thing Bucky knew, he was running, and running, trying desperately to make it behind a bunker in time. And when he got there, out of breath, and barely a second before the gunfire started, he found Darcy again. She was hunkered down next to Gabe, helmet obscuring all but her profile. Bucky must have made a sound of surprise, because just before she went over the top, she winked at him, and said, “Don’t worry, Bucky-boy. I got this.”

He didn’t even have time to follow her before his head was off skipping again. It stopped on him and Steve watching the Empire State Building go up. Darcy was there too. Standing next to them on the sidewalk, one hand shading her eyes. She passed him a sandwich out of a paper sack, and he was about to eat it when the scene changed again to his first kill for HYDRA. It was far bloodier and less neat than the ones that came later. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be there for that. He got back to the base, only to be roughly pushed into a cell after a curt, “Good work, Soldier.” As the cell door clanged shut, Bucky turned around to find her sitting on the cot built into the wall. 

“I’m here,” she said, holding her arms open to him. “Bucky? You’re not alone. I’m here.” And in this new, completely impossible memory, Bucky found himself stumbling into her embrace only to sob out the pain of the memory in her arms.

This one lasted longer than the others. Far longer. He was still pulling himself together, feeling shaky and dull with the ache of remembering it, when she stroked her fingers through his hair and said, “I’m so sorry, but this isn’t far enough. We need to go deeper. Can you do that for me, or do you need a break?”

He didn’t even know what that meant. Deeper than what? Before he could answer, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and looked up to see Steve standing in the cell as well.

“You’re safe,” he said. “You don’t have to do this right now.”

Bucky licked his lips. They were dry like his mouth. Dry like his throat. Dry, and cracked, and and sore from the cold. “Do what?”

“We’re looking for something,” Darcy said. “You’ve buried it, or it’s been buried by someone else, but we’ve got to find it to make you better.”

“Something…” His voice went raspy, going out completely, and he had to start over. “Something bad?”

She nodded. “Yes. Do you need to stop right now? We can stop. We can try again later.”

“No.” He still had no idea what either of them meant, but he could feel something tugging on the edges of his memory. It felt like he needed to follow it. “No. I don’t need to stop.”

“Okay, pal. We’re here. We’re not leaving you. Wherever you go, we’re following.” That was Steve. He’d somehow moved across the room without Bucky realizing, and was now sitting on the other side of him on the cot.

“I feel it too,” Darcy said. “That pull you’re feeling? I think it’s where we need to go. Like Steve said, you just let it draw you in, and we’ll follow.”

Bucky glanced between them. “Alright. How do I…?”

“Let go of us here. Just let it take you like you did with the other memories.”

It was harder than they knew to accept what they were saying. Drifting along with the other memories had been, but this? This felt real. He didn’t want to let go. None of that mattered, though. The tug of this memory was stronger than the others, and the room around him disintegrated into nothing as he went with it.

When he arrived at his destination, Bucky felt filled with dread. It was a lab like any other HYDRA lab, but something about it felt all wrong. He knew it, and yet he didn’t. The memory was skipping around, edges blurry, words intelligible, even though he knew he should be able to understand them. Even the faces of the people in the room were wrong. Every time he tried to focus on one of them, it shifted into something distorted and misshapen, like they were melting together. 

He was strapped down again. The machinery was similar to what Pierce had used, but slightly older with less advanced technology. Bucky’s mind supplied him with a sense of agony at the sight of it. He remembered screaming, the horrible waves of nausea and pain as it wiped him away. Somehow he’d escaped this, and now he was back. A frantic feeling began to overwhelm him, muscles tensing and heart pounding in response.

Then there was a warm touch on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Darcy. “It’s not real,” she said. “Bucky? None of it. You’re with me and Steve, safe in New York.”

Her voice was reassuring, and Bucky would have relaxed more had it not been for the way she looked. She was pale, faded, and Steve wasn’t with her.

“Where’s Steve,” he asked. “Why isn’t he here?”

“I…” She faltered for a moment, almost fading away completely, before burning back into view. “I couldn’t bring him. He’s still with you, though. At the tower? He’s standing right next to the you. We both are. I’m holding your hand, and he’s got mine.”

Bucky swallowed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just worn out. I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?” It hadn’t seemed that long to him. Just a few memories.

“Yeah. You keep going into some kind of fugue state between the memories, and I have to track you down again. Plus, I’m still a little run down because of the heat, and the bonding, and well...you know. Everything, basically. I’ll be fine. Where are we?”

He glanced around the room. “I wish I knew.”

“You don’t know?”

“No.”

“This is it, then,” Darcy said. “Whatever this is, it was buried so deep you don’t even recognize it. Pretty sure it’s what we’ve been looking for. Okay, so all the people. Do you know any of them?”

“No. I can’t bring them into focus.”

Her eyes widened. “None of them? Huh. That’s suspicious. What are they saying?”

“I can’t tell. Why can’t you tell? You’re right here.”

“Because I’m apparently seeing and hearing the same thing you are. Although, I wasn’t sure if the thing with the faces and voices was just me.”

“Because you’re tired,” he guessed, and she nodded. “Darcy, we don’t have to do this right now. I can go back into cryo. We can try again later. It’s alright.”

“No,” she cut across his words. “It’s not. It’s not alright, and you’re not going in there again.”

“Darcy…”

“No. Absolutely not. I can’t be separated from you again like that. Okay? I _can’t_.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding. “Okay. We do this now.”

“Now is too much pressure. Let’s just shoot for today. This is our first attempt, and…” She broke off, going transparent as the color bleached out of her all over.

Bucky pulled against this restraints. “Darce? Doll, please. If this is too much for you…”

“It’s not. I’m good. Promise.” 

He watched as she flooded with color again, but he could still see the shadowy outlines of the things behind her in the room showing up through her body. It scared him even more than the device he was strapped into. That fear snapped him into action. With a renewed urgency, he began fighting to pull the faces around him into focus. 

It was a fruitless task. He’d finally get one to where he could make out some features, and they’d move, forcing everything into a blur once more. There was one still in focus, though, a woman with a white lab coat, and hair wound into a sleek bun at the back of her neck. The strands were so blonde they were nearly white. Tow-headed. That was the term he and Steve would have used back in the day to describe it. 

She had her back to Bucky, and as he watched, she held up a syringe and a bottle of clear fluid. For some reason he had no trouble focusing on the smooth skin of her hands as she stuck the needle through the rubber and drew out more than half of the liquid. Then she turned, coming towards him.

Bucky flinched away in his restraints at the sight of her. Her whole body was sharp and clear, a stark change from the rest of the people in the room, but her face… Her face was just an empty expanse of pale skin. No eyes. No lips. No nothing. And her voice, _god_ her voice. It was like something out of a nightmare. He knew it was wrong. Everything inside him was screaming it. He knew the face, and the voice, but for some reason they were locked away tight, and his mind was producing _this_ horror instead.

Darcy was right. This was it. The thing they’d been looking for. There was no question of it as the woman came closer and emptied the contents of the needle into a port in the iv bag attached to his arm. Drugs delivered, she waited, head cocked to one side while watching him with her blank, missing face. Bucky shuddered, and Darcy made a low sound of disgust. 

“Who is that?” she whispered. 

“I don’t know,” he replied.

As he was speaking, the woman leaned closer, creepy face now inches from his ear. She spoke, and the sound of her voice was like a record being played at the wrong speed. “We shall try this again, Soldat. Eyes on me.” Bucky flinched again as one of her hands cupped around his jaw, her nails biting into his skin like talons. “I said eyes on me. You remember what happens when you choose not to obey, yes?”

He did. All too well. The last thing he needed was for Darcy to see that. Bucky ground his teeth together and complied, forcing his eyes to center on where the woman’s eyes would be if she had them. “Yes, Doctor,” he said.

“ _Doctor_ ,” he could hear Darcy hiss next to him. “What doctor? Bucky, I need a name.”

He gave a slight shake of his head. Whatever blocks this woman had placed in his head to conceal her identity from him, there was no getting past them. 

The strange woman had begun to speak again, and he was straining to get through the distortion and try to find something, _anything_ that could identify her. All he needed was an accent, a certain cadence to her speech that would prove familiar, a foreign word that might trigger further memories...but there was nothing. She was smart. Careful. Every word was chosen specifically to give nothing away. 

The restraints around his arms and legs clamped down tighter as she spoke. Within seconds, Bucky could feel a thin burn of electric current running through his body. He knew what it meant, knew what was coming, and instinctively fought it, even though it was just a memory.

“This is a waste of valuable energy, Soldat,” the woman said. “You know there is nothing you can do to escape. We have been through this so many times before.”

The electricity increased, burn amping up until Bucky felt like his whole body was in fire. “Stop,” he begged. “Please.”

She just shook her head, motioning to some of the other people in the room. “Bring it in. I wish to begin this while he is still primed.”

Several of them moved into Bucky’s view, carrying a small projector screen. They unrolled it, and stepped away. Moments later he could hear the whir of the projector beginning. Images began to appear on the screen, slowly at first, and then moving more rapidly. Each one flickered by faster and faster until they morphed into a single word: Sputnik. At the same time, the doctor said it, her voice strong with command despite the distortion.

Bucky tried to close his eyes, but couldn’t. The memory taking full hold, and keeping him trapped in its thrall. It wasn’t until he heard Darcy gasp in pain, that he was able to tear his gaze away from the screen. He turned only to find a thin shimmer of what had been her form, hanging in the air next to him.

“No!” he screamed, jerking against the restraints again. “Darcy!”

As he struggled, the entire room began to break up. Within seconds it was gone, and all that was left was a narrow band of light. Bucky went after that light with all his strength. Somehow he knew Darcy would be there if he could just reach it. The light expanded suddenly, blinding him, and he winced, watching it thin out again. One more violent push towards it, and Bucky was able to get his eyes open, sitting up on the gurney on the medical floor of the tower just in time to see Darcy crumple in Steve’s arms.

The room erupted into pandemonium. Bucky lunged off the gurney, reaching for her, as Doctor Cho and Jane moved in the same direction. Steve, looking completely panicked, was calling her name over and over.

There was no response.

Just then, the door to the room slammed open on its own. Bucky looked up in time to see Emma Frost stalking through, with an expression on her face that stunned everyone into silence. He could have sworn that there was a blazing light emanating from all around her body, but it might have been his eyes still adjusting. 

As Emma reached where Darcy had collapsed, he realized it wasn’t his eyes. She really was radiating a sharp, white glow all over. Taking in the entire situation in less than a second, Emma reached for her daughter, tone brooking no dissent. “Give her to me.” Steve faltered for a moment, and Emma gave him a look that would have shattered glass. “ _Now_ , Steven.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

Emma looked down at Darcy, and for just a moment, Bucky could see all the love of a mother for her child blazing in her face. “I am going to fix this,” she said, “and then I am going to help you discover whoever is responsible, and we are going to destroy them.”


	17. What's a Cupcake?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the psychic work Darcy had been doing has taken its toll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The reports of this fic's death were greatly exaggerated." 
> 
> \- Mark Twain
> 
> Here is a chapter, my friends! Thank you for your patience, and above all your kindness. Me and Lefty have received some amazing support over the weeks from you guys. We thank you.

_Earlier that day …_

Darcy walked back into Steve's bedroom to find him dressed and still talking to Sam about what was to happen with Bucky. "Well? What'd the King say?"

She tried to smooth out her borrowed clothing again with her hands, desperate to put on something of her own. While in the bathroom, she'd splashed her face with cold water to force some life back into her cheeks, but it didn't seem to fool Steve. He was staring at her as if he'd never seen her before.

She put her hands on her hips. "Well?"

Steve blinked. "T'Challa said they're flying in a doctor who worked on Bucky before, but they can only spare her today … for a few hours."

Darcy's heart sank. If they needed her psychic help, it would probably deplete her. Then she had a thought.

"Can we get Wanda in on this too?"

"Nah," Sam answered. "She went to the beach."

Darcy's brow knitted together. "Wait … what?"

"Yep. Her and Vision went to the beach. I guess they went on a vacation together. He packed a Speedo and everything."

"Are you kidding right now?"

"I wish I was. I don't need that image of Vision in a Speedo in my mind."

"Ohhh-kay, so scratch Wanda off the list. What time is this doctor gonna be here?"

"In about an hour," Steve answered.

Her stomach did a small flip, both in excitement at the prospect of getting Bucky back but also in a slight panic over how thin she'd been stretched. "An hour!? Okay. This is fine … this is all gonna be fine. I can do an hour."

_And then Bucky will be back and safe, and I can sleep for a week._

"Darcy, are you sure you're okay?" Steve asked with concern on his face.

She didn't know how to answer him. She knew she wasn't okay, but she should have been. They should have been happy. The two of them, no, the  _three_  of them, should have been together and ecstatic. Their hours and days after bonding should have been filled with bliss, but what they were given had been spoiled. Everything they'd planned, bonding together, the three of them, was now gone forever. They'd never get it back. And there was a faint whisper in the back of her mind that told her she was exhausted, that this isn't how she really felt, that she was so depleted that her mind was giving her false information. It had left a door ajar in her psyche and depression was able to start creeping in and crawling up her neck.

She tried to bury the feeling and put on a brave face. "Yeah, you know, I just need a little recharge," she replied. "I'm gonna go up to my room for a few, but I'll meet you down in medical, alright?"

Darcy then slipped out the door before he could ask her anymore questions. And for that, she was glad Sam was there to be a distraction.

She walked out into the hall, feeling like her feet were dragging behind her, as if she were a zombie. She just felt off and disconnected, even from her bonds to the boys. Once in her apartment, she was surprised to see Jane sitting at her kitchen table with her laptop and a cup of coffee. When her best friend looked up, she slammed her computer shut, looking suddenly relieved. "Thank god! You wouldn't answer your phone!"

Darcy frowned. 'You know what? I'm not even sure where my phone is right now." She then looked down at the clothing she was wearing, still not hers. "And at this point, I'm not even sure where I got these clothes," she said, in a daze.

Jane slowly stood. "Darcy, are you listening to yourself right now?"

She shook her head, trying to knock out the obvious cobwebs. "I know, Jane. I know. It's been a crazy 24 hours. Or has it been that long? Maybe it's been 48." Darcy knew that she must have seemed a little off her rocker, but after everything that had happened, she wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"Darcy, sit down."

She nodded and walked over to the table.

"Let me take care of you for once, make you some coffee, and make sure you're getting your rest. You're exhausted."

Darcy plopped down in a chair. "I know … I know, but I'm not done yet. I can't be."

"You are for now," Jane insisted, as she walked over to the counter to make Darcy a cup of coffee.

She shook her head. "There's a doctor flying in from Wakanda to help Bucky and I need to be there to assist her."

Jane handed Darcy her favorite mug, filled with her favorite brand and flavor of coffee. Jane knew her so well. Too well. "I'm beginning to regret giving the boys advice on how to woo you," she said.

Darcy cracked a smile. "Woo me?"

"Yes, woo you, what other word is there? They're both old as dirt. It's what boys did back in the olden days, or wherever they're from. They wooed."

Darcy frowned. "And Thor? He's not old as dirt? He's like, what? A few thousand years old? My 90-something-year-old boyfriends are still fetuses compared to your man."

Jane pursed her lips in thought. "Yeah. I suppose we're not exactly dating the typical guy, are we. It's kinda pervy if you think about it … so let's just not."

They both grinned and sipped at their coffee. Jane then set her mug down and her brows knit together in thought.

"What?" Darcy asked. "You're thinking too loud. What's going on in there?"

Jane hesitated for a moment. "It's just … now I know how you felt when you watched me with Thor. When I fell so hard so fast. When I retreated into myself for a year while he was gone. While I risked my life for someone who I'd barely known a weekend. And while I can honestly sit here and say that I'd do it all over again in a second, I also don't want to watch you do the same thing, drain yourself dry, risk your life, because we both know what could happen."

Darcy nodded. "I know. But I'm bound to both Steve and Bucky now."

"Doesn't matter."

She looked up. "It does! It matters. We are tied to each other now, there's no going back."

"Maybe. But you are still your own person. Remember yourself, Darcy. You were always the one who never wanted to lose control like this, who just wanted to be herself, and not be manipulated by baser human instincts."

Darcy gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Says the girl I'm bonded to in friendship. It's not manipulation."

Jane sat back. "I know, and that's why I'm here right now telling you this. It's because I can feel you and you're different. You're not thinking with your 'Darcy' mind, you're putting Bucky and Steve first."

She gave a bitter laugh. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Put love first?"

Her friend nervously chewed on her lip. "Not like this. I've never seen you so pale and thin. I've never seen you less 'Darcy'."

Darcy shook her head, not believing what her friend was saying. "This is rich coming from you, Jane, considering you once put your research off, and turned away from the scientific method, the thing you love the most, the thing that makes you  _Jane_ , for a year to find an alien prince you knew for two days!"

Before her friend could answer, the phone sitting next to her closed laptop started to buzz. Jane looked down momentarily to see who it was. "It's your mom, Darcy. She's been trying to get ahold of you."

Darcy didn't exactly want to talk, but her mother did happen to be Emma Frost, one of the most powerful telepaths in the world, and she could really use her help. She nodded and held out her hand. "I'll talk to her."

Jane handed over the phone and Darcy pressed the button to answer the call. "Mom?"

"Darcy Lewis _Frost_ , why have you not been answering your phone?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "What, am I twelve again? I haven't been answering because I'm not exactly sure I have a phone anymore."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I lost it somewhere between an explosion at a HYDRA base and spending the night in two men's apartments.  _Wow_ , that sounded bad, even to me."

"Something's wrong, I can hear it in your voice, you're exhausted. Have you gotten the rejuvenation you've needed after what you've been through?"

"I definitely got some sleep last night."

"After you bonded with Steve Rogers? Is that what happened?"

"Well … "

"I'll take that as a yes. So no, you have not gotten the rejuvenation you desperately need."

'I don't know, mom. We shared energy, maybe we can do it again."

"That's only temporary, Darcy. What we do isn't magic, though sometimes it feels as if it is, but it has its limitations. You know this. If you continue to share energy at the expense of proper rest, it will leave you even more depleted after it wears off, which is what has happened to you, it seems."

"Mom. I only need enough energy to get me through today, to help Bucky. We don't have time, only today."

"Are you listening to yourself right now?" her mom asked, echoing what Jane had said earlier. Darcy closed her eyes, refusing to think that they could be right.

"I have to go. There's a doctor flying in from Wakanda and it's the only time she can be here to help Cho. It's all we got, so either come over and help me with the psychic stuff, or leave me alone."

"Of course I'm coming over there, if only to stop you from killing yourself over two men who obviously don't deserve you, if they're so willing to let you drain yourself dry."

"That's not what's happening, mom."

"They will always put each other first. Did you learn nothing last spring?"

"Not true, mom."

"Isn't it?"

"What was it you told me about love? Back when I first arrived in New York?"

"Do not try to use my own words against me, Darcy, do not forget who you are talking to. Was it not you who told me that you wanted to relax for awhile in New York, and look what's happened, you get wrapped up in Avenger drama almost as soon as you stepped off the plane from London. And I told you that love can be a great adventure, I said nothing of love being a miserable quest through the nine rings of hell!"

Darcy gave a bitter laugh. "So dramatic."

"Am I being dramatic? Am I? I know you, baby. I know everything that happened, your father told me. You have been through too much trauma and stress to even think about using the kind of psychic focus it will take to help Bucky Barnes put his mind back together again. Please don't do this. At least not until I can get there."

Darcy shook her head as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I have to go, the doctor will be here soon."

"Do not start until I get there, Darcy! I'm only about an hour away at the school. Wait for me!"

"I don't think we have that long."

"DON'T YOU  _DARE_!"

"Bye mom," Darcy said as she pressed the button to end the call.

Jane blinked over at her. "So your mom sounded happy."

"Ecstatic," she replied, with no emotion in her voice.

"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this," Jane said, not really a question, more of a statement. A fact.

Darcy shook her head.

Jane cracked a small smile. "I know. I've been there. Let's go. At the very least, I'm gonna be there, like you always were for me."

A tear escaped down Darcy's cheek. "Thanks, bond-girl."

Jane leaned over and gave her a pat on the shoulder. It was supposed to be comforting, but with Jane, comforting pats tended to be _awkward_ comforting pats. "I'm with ya, girl. Until the very last pi number."

Darcy gave a sudden and unexpected burst of laughter. "Is that your lame sciency attempt at creating our own 'til the end of the line' sentiment?"

Jane shrugged, giggling. "No good?"

She sighed, feeling slightly energized from the tiny moment they just shared. "No, it's perfect."

Darcy took a nice long sip of coffee, trying to come back to herself. She thought of Bucky, strapped to that chair at the HYDRA facility, though about how adamant he was about cutting himself off from the world in order to protect the people he loved. She thought of Steve, who was so willing to do anything it took, to get the job done, to do what was right.

How could she do anything less?

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

_Present time ..._

Darcy felt as if her soul had been ripped from her body and as she discovered that she was watching Steve hand her body over to her mother, she realized that her initial reaction wasn't too far off. She was aware of what was going on around her and yet it all seemed as if it were happening underwater, muted, in slow motion.

"What are you going to do?" Steve asked, his voice sounding very far away and yet also loud and clear.

Emma gave him an icy stare. "I am going to fix this," she answered, "and then I am going to help you discover whoever is responsible, and we are going to destroy them."

Her mother said the word "destroy" as if she was going to take great pleasure in helping whoever it was meet their end.

She then saw a face from Bucky's memories, a fuzzy face with no features slowly coming into view in her mind's eye.

Darcy then sensed Bucky sitting up, awakening from their shared visions, but she couldn't feel him. Couldn't feel the lifeline that was their bond, and she discovered that she couldn't feel Steve anymore either.

But she did all of a sudden feel a great comfort enter the room, as her father walked in to assist Emma in taking Darcy to a different area.

Steve slowly stood and Darcy knew that the sight of two people taking his bondmate away was pushing all of his protective Alpha buttons. It was having an effect on Bucky too, as he began to slide out of bed, pulling his IV out of his arm.

"Where are you taking her?" Steve asked in a low voice, trying to keep control. He and Bucky were both starting to panic as they couldn't feel their bond to Darcy any longer.

"Where we are taking her is of no concern you right now," Emma shot back.

It was the wrong thing to say.

Both Steve and Bucky gave a low growl.

Her dad threw them a warning look. "Guys, you'll want to simmer down now, or you're gonna find out why some think Emma was on the villainous side of things from time to time."

Had it been anyone else but Tony Stark to intervene, they might have heard him, but the three didn't exactly have a great history of listening to each other.

Bucky began to lunge towards Emma, pushing himself off of his hospital bed.

She only laughed before instantly switching to her diamond form. All of a sudden, Emma was a shining stone statue, multifaceted, and beautiful. Also lethal and indestructible. She pushed her arm out and sent Bucky flying in the opposite direction. He crashed into a wall and then slid unceremoniously onto the floor.

Darcy was all of a sudden filled with fear for her bondmates.

"Guys!" Tony tried to reason one more time. "Emma has  _zero_  remorse when she's in diamond form. She's cold as ice. Stand down. She  _will_  hurt you. Think of what Darcy would want you to do. Stop thinking with your Alpha brains and let us fix this. It's what we do."

Bucky seemed like he was willing to stay down, if anything out of sheer exhaustion, but Steve still seemed ready to pummel Tony. But then Jane, of all people, stepped between them.

Jane gave Steve and Bucky what Darcy could only describe as her best "Winter Soldier" face. She was tiny yet fierce. The same Jane that covered Thor with her body in order to shield him from a collapsing Dark Elf spaceship. "I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you. Well, maybe not him," she amended, pointing at Tony … "but definitely me and Cho. And Wade, who I really wish were here right now … where is he, by the way?"

"He called. Said he was held up, but he's on his way." Tony said.

"Figures." She then put her attention back on the boys. "But right now I'm not really enjoying you so much, just so you know. So stand back, they are her parents, they know how to take care of her."

Jane diffused the tension long enough for Tony and Emma to get Darcy out the door and down to a more private room, where her mother could get a handle on what had happened and how to help her.

Darcy drifted off thinking how lovely it was that she had all of these people who loved her … but she was so tired. So very tired.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"I can't feel her. Can you? Steve? Can you feel her? Why can't I feel her?"

Steve watched as Bucky paced the length of the small hospital room again, his agitation apparent in every step. He knew just what his friend was going through. Steve himself was fighting back the urge to force his way into Tony's penthouse and find Darcy. It wouldn't help matters. He knew it wouldn't. But every part of him was crying out to be near her, _see_ her, know that she was alright.

Bucky reached the far side of the room once again. This time he paused, shoulders rising and falling with a rough breath before his fist collided with the wall. Steve could tell he was holding back, but it was still forceful enough to leave a dent. Bits of paint and plaster scattered to the floor around Bucky's feet while he made a low, ragged sound like a wounded animal. "I can't feel her, Steve."

Steve moved quickly to get to Bucky, and dropped a hand onto his shoulder to prevent further damage to the wall. "I know, pal. I know. We've just gotta trust Emma, here. She knows what she's doing, and Darcy's her daughter. She's not going to let anything happen to her, just like we wouldn't."

"He's right you know, Emma has this. Plus, nobody is getting in that penthouse right now. They didn't even let me in."

They both turned to see Wade entering the room. It was clear that he'd taken in the mood. He looked casual enough, but Steve knew that he hadn't positioned himself between Bucky and the medical staff still present by accident.

Jane snorted at Wade's comment. "Emma hates you," she said. "You wouldn't get in that penthouse on a good day."

"Yes, thank you for that, Foster. Nothing like a timely insult when I'm trying to calm the panicked Alpha Assassin, and I don't see you up in that penthouse either, so…"

"Because I know the best thing for Darcy right now is rest," Jane retorted. "She needed it before now, in fact. I wonder why she didn't get it."

There was no missing her accusatory tone, and Steve winced. "We should have been more careful. Both Bucky and I know that now. It won't happen again. Not on our watch."

"She collapsed on your watch," Jane said heatedly. Then she sighed. "But it was my watch too. I told her she was doing too much. I should have fought harder."

"Yeah, because that would have worked. Listen, I love Darcy like the adorable, mind-reading, mutant, Omega baby sister I never had, but I'll be the first to admit that she inherited the stubborn asshole gene from both her parents." Wade tilted his head. "Well, mostly from Stark. I'd say it's sixty-forty."

"You need to spend more time around Emma if you think that," Jane remarked.

"I prefer all my limbs present and accounted for, thanks," Wade said. "Not that I can't grow them back, but it takes so long, and it creeps Vanessa out when I have baby-hands. Or baby-legs. Or that one time when I had baby-head. This head," he clarified, pointing to his face. "Not...you know, the other one. That would be fucked up, though, right? I bet you're all wondering how I would even sustain an injury like that, but boy do I have news for you. You wouldn't believe the amount of assholes who go straight for the wedding tackle. And then I'm all like, 'sorry, no D for you unless I get dinner out of it'. Am I right?" He seemed to notice everyone in the room was staring at him with various expressions of incredulity, and held both hands out, shrugging. "Hey, I'm just saying. Wait...what was I saying? Eh. Probably not important. Anyway, back to the Darcy situation."

"Yes. Back to the person who matters right now," Jane said. "We need to wait on Emma. I'm sure she'll let us know if…"

Jane abruptly stopped speaking, and air hissed in through Steve's teeth as his bond with Darcy suddenly reconnected. The emotions coming through were all confusion at first, then worry, and something that felt a good deal like annoyance.

"You both feel that?" Bucky straightened, face going bright with hope and relief. "Does this mean she's awake? Can we see her?"

"I feel it," Steve replied. "She seems angry. Is that what you two are getting."

"Yeah." Jane nodded in agreement. "Definitely angry. I have a feeling we're going to be getting a call in any second." She'd barely finished speaking when her phone began to ring. Her eyes widened when she saw the number on the screen. "Darcy? Yeah. They're here. He's awake too. No he's fine. They both are."

Steve hovered impatiently, Bucky right next to him, as they listened to Jane's side of the conversation. She went silent for a few seconds before nodding at them, and pointing up in the direction of the penthouse.

"Is that the all clear to go up?" he asked.

Jane covered the phone mic with her hand. "Well...it's an all clear from Darcy. She's claiming Emma will let you in. I'd tread carefully, though."

"I'm going," Bucky said, already moving towards the door. "She needs us, Steve. I can feel it. And we need her."

It was true. The intense longing for them that was coming through the bond eclipsed the other emotions Darcy had been feeling. She _did_ need them, although Steve had a feeling he and Bucky needed her even more, and they'd hurt her. They hadn't taken care of her, not like they should have.

It would never happen again.

" _Steve_!" Bucky's voice was urgent, one hand already resting on the door handle. "You really gonna keep her waiting?"

He squared his jaw, heading for Bucky and the door with a sure step. "No, Buck. No I'm not. Let's go get our girl."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're now in the homestretch for our fic. Next up: Everyone gets their fucking head on straight and they're ready to cut a bitch.


End file.
